May 28

So Samuel did what the LORD had said and went to Bethlehem. When the elders of the town met him, they trembled and asked, “Do you come in peace?” “In peace,” he replied. “I have come to sacrifice to the LORD. Consecrate yourselves and come with me to the sacrifice.” Then he consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice. — 1 Sam 16:4-5 BSB

God’s messengers don’t always come with gentle faces. Sometimes they appear in stern and difficult forms, yet they always come with a blessing. Sickness is one of these messengers. We may not welcome it, but if we ask this messenger, “Do you come in peace?” the answer is, “Yes, I come in peace.” Sickness, like all of life’s hard trials, brings messages of peace and good, if we have the grace to receive them.

This is true of all difficulties in life. We would rather have comfort and ease. Young men who grow up in poverty may feel they’ve been given an unfair disadvantage when they see others living in luxury. But often, the stern messenger of hardship brings a more valuable blessing than the easy life of wealth and comfort.

The best things in life are developed through work and discipline. So whatever forces a young person to toil, to sacrifice, and to exert effort is ultimately a blessing. The “prophet of necessity” comes in peace. We should not turn away any of God’s messengers, no matter how stern they appear, because they always bring a good message.