Why Does God Allow Sickness and Suffering?
Why do we have sickness and suffering?
Some appear to experience it more than others.
Surely God could use us better if we were all healthy and fit!
God has suffered with us. In fact he has suffered more than all.
Isaiah 52:14
Just as there were many who were appalled at him —
his appearance was so disfigured beyond that of any man
and his form marred beyond human likeness—
Jesus was marred beyond human likeness; how truly unconceivable.
The God and creator of all mankind was unrecognisable due to severe physical trauma.
Then Jesus took the result of all sins on himself ever committed; past, present and future. Imagine the weight of every sin committed lain on Jesus Christ at the cross. It crushed Him and separated Him from God the Father.
2 Corinthians 12:10
That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
The human race became too self-reliant we broke God's perfect laws. We chose to walk away from perfection because we thought we would gain wisdom. As a result all of creation is now suffering under the separation from God. Yet God's sustaining grace is still at work, we are not all lost. We must learn to rely on God who does know good from evil.
Genesis 3:4-5
"You will not surely die," the serpent said to the woman. "For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."
Adam and Eve, like all who have lived on this earth, know first hand what good and evil feel like.
The degenerate state of creation moans under the labour of carrying on another day and we feel it.
We do have a liberator and He is knocking at the door.
Matthew 8:7
Jesus said to him, "I will go and heal him."
So we must listen to the call. We have disobeyed as a race but we can turn back.
Hosea 6:1
"Come, let us return to the LORD.
He has torn us to pieces
but he will heal us;
he has injured us
but he will bind up our wounds.
Deuteronomy 32:39
"See now that I myself am He!
There is no god besides me.
I put to death and I bring to life,
I have wounded and I will heal,
and no one can deliver out of my hand.
John 10:17-18
The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father."
The sinful nature is so strong that left by itself it would betray us. Paul the Apostle had this to say about his ongoing disability:
2 Corinthians 12:7-9
To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me.
Paul did many miracles and healed others, but he still needed to remember how much he had to rely on God.
There are many others famous for their contributions to society who have braved disabilities and religious persecution.
Louis Pasteur
Louis Pasteur from whom we get the process of pasteurisation, cure for rabies and many other significant scientific advancements had a sturdy faith in God. He was plagued by partial paralysis made worse through long work days.
Louis stated: ‘The more I study nature, the more I stand amazed at the work of the Creator’.
James Joule
James Joule was the first person to demonstrate the validity of the theory of thermodynamics. He is considered the chief founder of thermodynamics.
James' health deteriorated over the last 17 years of his life and did little work.
He lived by these words: ‘After the knowledge of, and obedience to, the will of God, the next aim must be to know something of His attributes of wisdom, power and goodness as evidenced by His handiwork.’
Johannes Kepler
Johannes Kepler known as one of the founders of modern science was frequently sick through out his life and had numerous tragedies occur in his life.
He had this to say: ‘Let my name perish if only the name of God the Father is thereby elevated’.
Jesus turns the tragedies in our lives to blessings for us and others. He works miracles in spite of the sinful state of the world and brings about miraculous strength, healing.
John 9:1-3
As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?"
"Neither this man nor his parents sinned," said Jesus, "but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life.
John 9:7
"Go," he told him, "wash in the Pool of Siloam" (this word means Sent). So the man went and washed, and came home seeing.
Jesus is willing to heal us. He wants us to work for Him in bringing others to salvation no matter our physical status. Our weaknesses can be turned into the greatest of strengths through Jesus.
However, Jesus can do little if we do not have faith in Him. If we do not believe why would we want Him to do anything?
Mark 6:4-6
Jesus said to them, "Only in his hometown, among his relatives and in his own house is a prophet without honor." He could not do any miracles there, except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them. And he was amazed at their lack of faith.
Mark 9:24
Immediately the boy's father exclaimed, "I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!"
Jesus will help us, even if with a little sigh at why we need extra coercion of fingers in ears and on tongue. We can believe when in an instant he will call more people than the number of stars of the sky from the grave with little more than a trumpet and a sentence.
Mark 7:32-34
There some people brought to him a man who was deaf and could hardly talk, and they begged him to place his hand on the man.
After he took him aside, away from the crowd, Jesus put his fingers into the man's ears. Then he spit and touched the man's tongue. He looked up to heaven and with a deep sigh said to him, "Ephphatha!" (which means, "Be opened!" ).
Mark 8:11-12
The Pharisees came and began to question Jesus. To test him, they asked him for a sign from heaven. He sighed deeply and said, "Why does this generation ask for a miraculous sign? I tell you the truth, no sign will be given to it."
Even the disciples had problems with faith.
Matthew 10:1
He called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out evil spirits and to heal every disease and sickness.
Matthew 17:19-20
Then the disciples came to Jesus in private and asked, "Why couldn't we drive it out?"
He replied, "Because you have so little faith. I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you."
What is a lifetime on earth compared to bliss for eternity? Shall we not help with the Lord’s work whether through good times or bad?
Job who suffered immensely and lost all he had said this:
Job 1:21
"Naked I came from my mother's womb,
and naked I will depart.
The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away;
may the name of the LORD be praised."
Job 2:10
...Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?"
In all this, Job did not sin in what he said.
Think about how many people Job has encouraged! How many people will thank him in heaven for telling his story. We can hold out, it isn't much longer.
God is good and the goodness we accept from him will be ever lasting. After our short lives on earth we will have an eternity of peace!
Revelation 21:4
He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away."
In heaven there are leaves for the healing of the nations.
Ezekiel 47:12
Fruit trees of all kinds will grow on both banks of the river. Their leaves will not wither, nor will their fruit fail. Every month they will bear, because the water from the sanctuary flows to them. Their fruit will serve for food and their leaves for healing."
Revelation 22:2
down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations.
We will not die but only sleep. Jesus, as a gift, died for us the death of complete separation from God and the suffering it brings. We who accept Jesus' gift rest in peace soon to be raised to eternal life.
John 11:11
After he had said this, he went on to tell them, "Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I am going there to wake him up."
John 11:14
So then he told them plainly, "Lazarus is dead,
James 1:2-3
Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.
Luke 8:42-44
because his only daughter, a girl of about twelve, was dying.
As Jesus was on his way, the crowds almost crushed him. And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years, but no one could heal her. She came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak, and immediately her bleeding stopped.
Jeremiah 17:14
Heal me, O LORD, and I will be healed;
save me and I will be saved,
for you are the one I praise.
Luke 18:42
Jesus said to him, "Receive your sight; your faith has healed you."
Dear friends, I pray that God will bring healing into your life and that His will be done.
Some appear to experience it more than others.
Surely God could use us better if we were all healthy and fit!
God has suffered with us. In fact he has suffered more than all.
Isaiah 52:14
Just as there were many who were appalled at him —
his appearance was so disfigured beyond that of any man
and his form marred beyond human likeness—
Jesus was marred beyond human likeness; how truly unconceivable.
The God and creator of all mankind was unrecognisable due to severe physical trauma.
Then Jesus took the result of all sins on himself ever committed; past, present and future. Imagine the weight of every sin committed lain on Jesus Christ at the cross. It crushed Him and separated Him from God the Father.
2 Corinthians 12:10
That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
The human race became too self-reliant we broke God's perfect laws. We chose to walk away from perfection because we thought we would gain wisdom. As a result all of creation is now suffering under the separation from God. Yet God's sustaining grace is still at work, we are not all lost. We must learn to rely on God who does know good from evil.
Genesis 3:4-5
"You will not surely die," the serpent said to the woman. "For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."
Adam and Eve, like all who have lived on this earth, know first hand what good and evil feel like.
The degenerate state of creation moans under the labour of carrying on another day and we feel it.
We do have a liberator and He is knocking at the door.
Matthew 8:7
Jesus said to him, "I will go and heal him."
So we must listen to the call. We have disobeyed as a race but we can turn back.
Hosea 6:1
"Come, let us return to the LORD.
He has torn us to pieces
but he will heal us;
he has injured us
but he will bind up our wounds.
Deuteronomy 32:39
"See now that I myself am He!
There is no god besides me.
I put to death and I bring to life,
I have wounded and I will heal,
and no one can deliver out of my hand.
John 10:17-18
The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father."
The sinful nature is so strong that left by itself it would betray us. Paul the Apostle had this to say about his ongoing disability:
2 Corinthians 12:7-9
To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me.
Paul did many miracles and healed others, but he still needed to remember how much he had to rely on God.
There are many others famous for their contributions to society who have braved disabilities and religious persecution.
Louis Pasteur
Louis Pasteur from whom we get the process of pasteurisation, cure for rabies and many other significant scientific advancements had a sturdy faith in God. He was plagued by partial paralysis made worse through long work days.
Louis stated: ‘The more I study nature, the more I stand amazed at the work of the Creator’.
James Joule
James Joule was the first person to demonstrate the validity of the theory of thermodynamics. He is considered the chief founder of thermodynamics.
James' health deteriorated over the last 17 years of his life and did little work.
He lived by these words: ‘After the knowledge of, and obedience to, the will of God, the next aim must be to know something of His attributes of wisdom, power and goodness as evidenced by His handiwork.’
Johannes Kepler
Johannes Kepler known as one of the founders of modern science was frequently sick through out his life and had numerous tragedies occur in his life.
He had this to say: ‘Let my name perish if only the name of God the Father is thereby elevated’.
Jesus turns the tragedies in our lives to blessings for us and others. He works miracles in spite of the sinful state of the world and brings about miraculous strength, healing.
John 9:1-3
As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?"
"Neither this man nor his parents sinned," said Jesus, "but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life.
John 9:7
"Go," he told him, "wash in the Pool of Siloam" (this word means Sent). So the man went and washed, and came home seeing.
Jesus is willing to heal us. He wants us to work for Him in bringing others to salvation no matter our physical status. Our weaknesses can be turned into the greatest of strengths through Jesus.
However, Jesus can do little if we do not have faith in Him. If we do not believe why would we want Him to do anything?
Mark 6:4-6
Jesus said to them, "Only in his hometown, among his relatives and in his own house is a prophet without honor." He could not do any miracles there, except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them. And he was amazed at their lack of faith.
Mark 9:24
Immediately the boy's father exclaimed, "I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!"
Jesus will help us, even if with a little sigh at why we need extra coercion of fingers in ears and on tongue. We can believe when in an instant he will call more people than the number of stars of the sky from the grave with little more than a trumpet and a sentence.
Mark 7:32-34
There some people brought to him a man who was deaf and could hardly talk, and they begged him to place his hand on the man.
After he took him aside, away from the crowd, Jesus put his fingers into the man's ears. Then he spit and touched the man's tongue. He looked up to heaven and with a deep sigh said to him, "Ephphatha!" (which means, "Be opened!" ).
Mark 8:11-12
The Pharisees came and began to question Jesus. To test him, they asked him for a sign from heaven. He sighed deeply and said, "Why does this generation ask for a miraculous sign? I tell you the truth, no sign will be given to it."
Even the disciples had problems with faith.
Matthew 10:1
He called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out evil spirits and to heal every disease and sickness.
Matthew 17:19-20
Then the disciples came to Jesus in private and asked, "Why couldn't we drive it out?"
He replied, "Because you have so little faith. I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you."
What is a lifetime on earth compared to bliss for eternity? Shall we not help with the Lord’s work whether through good times or bad?
Job who suffered immensely and lost all he had said this:
Job 1:21
"Naked I came from my mother's womb,
and naked I will depart.
The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away;
may the name of the LORD be praised."
Job 2:10
...Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?"
In all this, Job did not sin in what he said.
Think about how many people Job has encouraged! How many people will thank him in heaven for telling his story. We can hold out, it isn't much longer.
God is good and the goodness we accept from him will be ever lasting. After our short lives on earth we will have an eternity of peace!
Revelation 21:4
He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away."
In heaven there are leaves for the healing of the nations.
Ezekiel 47:12
Fruit trees of all kinds will grow on both banks of the river. Their leaves will not wither, nor will their fruit fail. Every month they will bear, because the water from the sanctuary flows to them. Their fruit will serve for food and their leaves for healing."
Revelation 22:2
down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations.
We will not die but only sleep. Jesus, as a gift, died for us the death of complete separation from God and the suffering it brings. We who accept Jesus' gift rest in peace soon to be raised to eternal life.
John 11:11
After he had said this, he went on to tell them, "Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I am going there to wake him up."
John 11:14
So then he told them plainly, "Lazarus is dead,
James 1:2-3
Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.
Luke 8:42-44
because his only daughter, a girl of about twelve, was dying.
As Jesus was on his way, the crowds almost crushed him. And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years, but no one could heal her. She came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak, and immediately her bleeding stopped.
Jeremiah 17:14
Heal me, O LORD, and I will be healed;
save me and I will be saved,
for you are the one I praise.
Luke 18:42
Jesus said to him, "Receive your sight; your faith has healed you."
Dear friends, I pray that God will bring healing into your life and that His will be done.
posted by Michael A. Redwine at Friday, April 07, 2006
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