1 Tim 5:23   Stop drinking only water, and use a little wine because of your stomach and your frequent illnesses.

  

This is amazing counsel, not so much for what it counsels but for what it reveals. This is Paul writing to his young protégé, Timothy, a leader in the making. Bear that in mind, Timothy is a leader in the making, one who serves the Lord well. But look what it says about Timothy: he has stomach upsets, but worse than that, frequent upsets! This is a leader in the making and he has stomach upsets!  Now we aren't told what the cause of those upsets is, but it sounds almost like irritable bowel syndrome, which has its roots in anxiety. Timothy gets worried? Well yes, he's a spiritual leader and it's a stressful position. In fact modern psychologists and doctors reckon being a church leader is one of the most stressful jobs you can have.

 

But look at the counsel Paul gives him: stop drinking only water, use a little wine. Well wine in those days tended to be mixed with water to dilute it, so he wasn't saying, stop drinking dodgy water. No, he was saying that wine would help his digestion. Excuse me? What about prayer for healing? Yes, we can have that as well, but sometimes we need to just do simple ordinary things to alleviate the problem. God could step in through prayer, but why don't you take responsibility and take action yourself. You do what you can do and then let God do what only He can do. This is a picture of a frail young man – like some of us – who needs simple practical help – like some of us.