A Messenger of Mercy
[
Testimonies for the Church 7:72-75
(1902).]
The Christian physician is to be to the sick a messenger of mercy,
bringing to them a remedy for the sin-sick soul as well as for the
diseased body. As he uses the simple remedies that God has provided
for the relief of physical suffering, he is to speak of Christ’s power to
heal the maladies of the soul.
How necessary that the physician live in close communion with the
Saviour! The sick and suffering with whom he deals need the help that
Christ alone can give. They need prayers indited by His Spirit. The
afflicted one leaves himself to the wisdom and mercy of the physician,
whose skill and faithfulness may be his only hope. Let the physician,
then, be a faithful steward of the grace of God, a guardian of the soul
as well as of the body.
The physician who has received wisdom from above, who knows
that Christ is His personal Saviour, because he has himself been led
to the Refuge, knows how to deal with the trembling, guilty, sin-sick
souls who turn to him for help. He can respond with assurance to
the inquiry, “What must I do to be saved?” He can tell the story of
the Redeemer’s love. He can speak from experience of the power
of repentance and faith. As he stands by the bedside of the sufferer,
striving to speak words that will bring to him help and comfort, the
Lord works with him and through him. As the mind of the afflicted
one is fastened on the Mighty Healer, the peace of Christ fills his heart,
and the spiritual health that comes to him is used as the helping hand
of God in restoring the health of the body.
Precious are the opportunities that the physician has of awakening
in the hearts of those with whom he is brought in contact a sense
[352]
of their great need of Christ. He is to bring from the treasure house
of the heart things new and old, speaking the words of comfort and
instruction that are longed for. Constantly he is to sow the seeds of
truth, not presenting doctrinal subjects, but speaking of the love of the
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