THE THREE PURPOSES OF SICKNESS -- Devotional for May 22, from "Good Seeds"

But that with all boldness Christ shall even now, as always, be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. (Philippians 1:20)

A missionary was tending to a sick friend, when a little neighbor girl entered the hut. She was a Christian, too, so when the band of believers bowed to pray she took her turn. She didn’t pray for relief and healing, nor for faith and endurance. These good requests others had already covered. Instead, she prayed for understanding: “Dear Lord, please tell us: Is this a sickness due to sin? Is it a sickness unto death? Or is it a sickness for the glory of God? Amen.” The missionary was rather taken aback by this unusual prayer, but the more he thought about it, the more he began to see the depth of spiritual truth it revealed. Surely these are the three reasons given throughout the Bible why anyone suffers physical pain and illness: #1 Sickness due to sin. In I Corinthians 11:29-30 Paul named a particular sin that was rampant in that church, and then made this startling statement: “For this reason many among you are weak and sick….” We pay the price of sin with the coin of sorrow. Whether we are breaking the moral or ethical code, or flaunting the laws God or of His world – including those of good health and nutrition – we reap what we sow. In the early church, when someone got sick they were to call for the elders. This wasn’t a rejection of medicine, but the recognition of what doctors know all too well today regarding the spiritual roots of physical distress and disease. Along with the anointing of oil (today: taking a pill), a prayer is offered – for there just might be some sin to be confessed (see James 5:14-16). #2 Sickness unto death. None of us knows the day of our death, nor the means. We sometimes wonder why “the good die young” while hardened sinners live on and on. We read of Hezekiah (II Kings 20:1) and Lazarus (John 11), how each man’s time had come to die. And yet both were spared, to live a little longer. We see many today whose life spans are lengthened through medical wonders. And yet, despite the plentiful miracles of medical science, and the rare miracles of God’s healing, we all die. So it is not wrong to ponder the possibility, “Will this injury or illness be the avenue for my graduation into glory?” We must not dwell on it, or worry about it, but it’s only right to consider it. But there’s one other: #3 Sickness for the glory of God. Job is the best example of this: His suffering had nothing to do with his sin, nor did it lead to his death. Although his character was tempered by his pain, it had an even higher purpose than that, for a glorious victory was being won in heaven that earth knew nothing of – God’s conquest over Satan.