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This is a continuation of the series on The Body. Today we consider sickness of the body.
Whether it is the sniffles or a life threatening illness, sickness causes a pause in a life we may have thought was ours.
There are various reasons why a body might be sick.
Sometimes what we call sickness is actually the body letting us know it is on duty, already fighting for us.
Sometimes sickness is a call to be still and let the body do what God created it to do.
Sometimes sickness is the body’s call for back up. We may need to change our life style or get medical intervention so we can get back to doing what God is calling us to do.
Sometimes sickness can be resistance training. As we grabble with our lack of ability to control our bodies, we may struggle with God for control. He will always win, but we will come out of the struggle stronger.
Sickness reminds us that God makes The Plan for our life. We follow Him. He does not follow us.
Sickness can be a way of God calling us to the mission field. We may go places we never would have chosen. But we are sent there to fulfill His Purpose, not only in our life, but in the lives of others.
Sickness can be a test of our faith. This is especially true when the journey through sickness is long. Will we continue to hope or will satan entice us to give up before we reach the finish line?
Sometimes sickness results in decreasing the physical outside world so we can hear God more clearly from the inside. Our spiritual world expands as our physical world decreases.
Pail said,
Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.
2 Corinthians 4:16
So what can we do when sickness comes to our bodies?
First of all, know whose body it is.
Remember what Paul said.
“Do you not know that your bodies are temples of The Holy Spirit, Who is in you, Whom you have received from God? You are not your own .. Therefore honor God with your bodies.”
1 Corinthians 6:19-20
Our bodies are not our own. They certainly do not belong to satan. Our bodies belong to God, Who created them.
As The Owner, God has all right and authority. So step one is do what God told David to do.
Be still and know that I am God.
Psalm 46:10
Do not seek to know why or how this sickness came to you. Seek to know what God is saying to you through the challenge of sickness. Seek to know God.
When we are sick, we don’t always seek to know God. We seek for Him to heal us so we can return to running our life.
Be patient. Sickness demands patience. Some of us can try to be a good sport for a day or two. But beyond that, we want to be done with sickness.
But God has told us to be still. He also tells us to wait on Him.
But they that wait upon The Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.
Isaiah 40:31
Do not give up hope. Put your trust in God to work out His Perfect Plan for your body. And be totally open to how He will do it.
Both Paul and James tell us something very important about Hope.
Paul says,
“Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.”
Romans 12:12
James says,
“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds,because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”
James 1:2-4
Joy in affliction? Joy in trials? That does not seem to go together at all. But yet Jesus Himself showed us how that works.
Joy depends on what you are hoping for. If you are limiting yourself to just hoping you can get your old life back or even some new, improved version of that life, you may be disappointed.
But if you are hoping to receive all God plans for you in His Perfect Time, you can have genuine Hope and Joy.
How was Jesus able to make it through the suffering of the cross?
For the joy set before Him He endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of The Throne of God.
Hebrews 12:2
He was given strength for His Suffering through His Anticipation of a Greater Joy ahead.
The Joy of The Lord was His Strength! (Nehemiah 8:10)
Paul encourages us to follow Jesus’ example and receive The Joy of The Lord, which is our strength. There is Joy to be found both on the journey and at its end.
If we find the Joy in the journey and have the assurance of Joy at the end of the journey, we can join Paul in saying,
“I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death.”
Philippians 1:20
