By Pastor William Y. K. Brown Ph.D
(Resident Pastor)
Seventh-day Adventist Church
Osu-Bethel.
Tel: 0244165628/0243310773.
wykbrown@gmail.com
THURSDAY – May 8, 2025
THEME: PROMISE #75 – LORD, PLEASE EXTEND MY LIFE AND DELAY MY DEATH
SCRIPTURE: Exodus 15:26
“and said, “If you diligently heed the voice of the Lord your God and do what is right in His sight, give ear to His commandments and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have brought on the Egyptians. For I am the Lord who heals you.”
REFLECTIONS
If death physically approached you and said, “Get ready, I am taking you away today in the next 10 minutes,” what would you do? Would you accept and go along, or would you hesitate and ask for an extension? Most people, once they learn the day of their death, will certainly plead for more time. If you did, you would not be out of place. King Hezekiah did; he even wept bitterly when he learned his death was imminent. God had compassion on him and granted him 15 additional years (Isaiah 38:1-5).
Promise #75 is God’s plan for you to extend your lifespan. God places the responsibility in your hands to stay healthy and ensure longevity. Embedded in this promise is a didactic instruction on maintaining health and protecting yourself from lifestyle diseases and untimely death. The promise in Exodus 15:26 states, “and said, “If you diligently heed the voice of the Lord your God and do what is right in His sight, give ear to His commandments and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have brought on the Egyptians. For I am the Lord who heals you.” The first criterion for health and longevity is diligently heeding the voice of God, doing what is right, and obeying His commandments and statutes. This is the principle underlying preventive medicine.
Every word of God is intended to enhance human life if followed. More deaths now occur due to preventable lifestyle diseases, also known as non-communicable diseases, than from communicable or infectious diseases. All the precautions provided by the WHO to promote optimal health and prevent illness and premature death relate to lifestyle diseases, primarily cardiovascular conditions, such as hypertension, diabetes, cardiac arrest, stroke, angina pectoris, deep vein thrombosis, and cancers, including lung cancer and others. Lest we forget, we are what we eat.
God promises to reward obedience to His instructions on life. “I will put none of the diseases on you which I have brought on the Egyptians.” Among the diseases the Egyptians had were malignant tumors (cancers) and arteriosclerosis (a vascular disease). The good news is that God can heal you if you already have any of these diseases. He states categorically: “For I am the Lord, who heals you.” God is our divine healer and the foremost expert in preventive medicine. Those who follow His directives will be blessed with vibrant health, hope, and the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22,23).
MY SONG OF COMMITMENT
SDAH 308 – “Wholly Thine”
LET US PRAY
– Praise and thank God for health and His healing mercies; pray to stay close to God through obedience to His health instructions and self-control;
– Pray for people in our homes and communities to learn to practice proper hygiene, and avoid sedentary lifestyles, alcohol, cigarette smoking, poor eating habits, harmful choices, etc.;
– Pray for the unwell that God will heal them for His glory, and God’s sustaining grace and providence for people living with some disabilities; pray for people with addictions, and the wayward;
– Pray for a national consciousness to obey God’s health principles, promote preventive health practices, and pursue righteousness which exalts a nation.
