Weekly devotion: Are you a life-giver?

Maryamana Hospital, Iraq

Outside Maryamana Hospital, Erbil

Iraq’s health services are struggling to meet the needs of the people. The situation is particularly acute in the north of the country, where there is a high number of Syrian refugees and internally displaced Iraqis. High levels of poverty in the region mean that people are more vulnerable to seasonal diseases and epidemics – and there is huge pressure on government hospitals and health centres.

In response to these needs, Embrace’s partner – the Catholic Chaldean Church – founded the Maryamana Hospital in Erbil in 2020. It is a non-profit, community-based hospital that provides vital medical care to those of all faiths.

People living in the communities surrounding the hospital do not have the money to pay for life-saving drugs, and so the hospital plays a crucial role in filling this gap. It offers a full range of services, including maternity care, an intensive care unit and an emergency department.

Bible reading

‘They arrived at Jairus' house, where Jesus saw the confusion and heard all the loud crying and wailing. He went in and said to them, “Why all this confusion? Why are you crying? The child is not dead—she is only sleeping!”

They started making fun of him, so he put them all out, took the child's father and mother and his three disciples, and went into the room where the child was lying. He took her by the hand and said to her, “Talitha, koum,” which means, “Little girl, I tell you to get up!”

She got up at once and started walking around. (She was twelve years old.) When this happened, they were completely amazed. But Jesus gave them strict orders not to tell anyone, and he said, “Give her something to eat.”’

Read the full account: Mark 5:21-43

Thought

This well-known account from the life of Jesus paints a beautiful portrait of our Lord as a life-giver. When Jairus implores Jesus for help, Jesus responds immediately and brings this desperate father hope (v24). When the suffering woman reaches out and touches Jesus (v27), she is restored and made whole. When Jesus is confronted with the motionless body of a little girl, he reaches down into death and brings her back to life (v41).

The staff at Maryamana Hospital are reflecting the character of Jesus by bringing hope and life to people living under huge pressures in Erbil. They are helping and healing people who have nowhere else to turn. Their starting point is love: love for Christ, and love for each and every person they serve – each of whom has been created in the image of God.

Ask yourself: In our own contexts, what would it look like to respond to other people as a life-giver?

Prayer

Gracious God,

We lift up Maryamana Hospital, operating in such a challenging context in northern Iraq. May it continue to be a blessing and a source of hope and healing to many in the surrounding community.

We thank you for the perfect life of Jesus – may you change us from within and make us more Christlike. Help us to emulate your example and cause us to be life-givers in our own contexts.

In Jesus’ name, Amen.

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