Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits – who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion. Psalm 103:2-4

Yesterday, we were privileged to hear Rev Dr Leon Klein, minister at Athlone Methodist talking about living with the after effects of long covid. His talk, titled “Imperfect, but useful in God’s hands”, was inspiring to all who attended, and was a testimony to the grace of God in his life.

Many of us had covid and recovered, but many also went on to suffer many debilitating ongoing effects from covid. For some, they were mild, but for others, like Leon, they were incredibly severe.

Covid is but one of many debilitating diseases facing us; we think of the folk with  among others, Diabetes, Motor Neuron disease, Parkinson’s and Multiple Sclerosis. The elderly may suffer from Alzheimer’s or other degenerative ailments.

Our faith in Christ, our Saviour, gives us the strength to carry the burden of illness, and while our prayers for healing are not always answered directly, we know that He is with us.

In our prayers this week, let us remember those suffering the effects of long covid. Remember too, the families helping those with long covid. We pray too, for those suffering from the many “dread” diseases, for which yet no cure has been found, and also for the families caring for them. We remember those in medical research, seeking cures for all these diseases, for those in hospitals, hospices and retirement homes caring for their patients.