Sickness happens. We're sure of that.
The question is: at whose hand does it happen? Is sickness merely part of the human condition in which all of us are potential victims? Is my sickness caused by sin, present or past, and a consequence for what I've done or failed to do? Is it the diabolical curse of Satan that brings us into physical ruin and weakness? Or is sickness from God, a part of His sovereign purpose and plan that is brought for my good and His glory?
The answer is Yes.
Of course, that requires an explanation. Truth is, I've been working on this question for quite a while. When I was a six-year-old boy, I contracted rheumatic fever, and in the midst of that had a chemical reaction that resulted in a fever reversal and inner ear nerve damage. I've had profound deafness in both ears since that day. At whose hand did that happen? And why?
As a pastor, I'm acquainted with many who face critical and debilitating illness. I've seen cancer in far too many people, horrible automobile accidents that bring permanent injury or death, and children born with severe defects. Recently I spoke with a young mother who lost the baby she'd only been carrying for a few weeks. At whose hand does all this take place?
There are several truths that guide me as I seek an answer to this. The first is simply that God is Sovereign. He is the Supreme Ruler of the universe and according to Scripture, "upholds all things by the word of His power" Hebrews 1:3. My answer must take this into account but I'm also aware that how God exercises that Sovereignty is beyond our ability to comprehend. I'm left to simply ponder His revelation and allow my answer to fall within what He tells me there.
Other truths are indisputable. Sin is present in the world and from the very first day of the sin in the Garden of Eden, death made its presence known. The serpent was there in that garden and from that day forward has been known as one who is able to exercise his ability to rob, kill and destroy. Free will is plainly present alongside all these things. Man's free will is limited to the boundaries a Sovereign God allows but it is there nonetheless, undoubtedly complicating the picture of human events.
One of the ways I am able to picture all these elements operating in our world is to envision a huge umbrella overshadowing every created thing. That umbrella would represent God's sovereignty and beneath His sovereignty are all the elements mentioned previously. God is assuredly in control and there is no question that: "God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God" Romans 8:28.
This means that all those factors that are present in the world we live in aren't randomly running amok, hurting and maiming all those in their paths. God has not allowed the universe to simply move in whichever way it will and He in response does not have to scurry about fixing things that get broken because of sin, Satan and natural calamity.
And yet at the same time, the Bible steers us away from believing that God sends all sickness and commissions Satan to create havoc; causing two cars to crash into one another resulting in tragedy. There are those whose view of God's sovereignty causes them to struggle with this. "How can God be in control if He did not directly decree something?" they say. In my view, God's sovereignty is even more amazing in that He is able to take all He has allowed to be freely active and cause it all to work toward His purpose.
There are times when God forthrightly declares and decrees what we would consider to be bad. Moses protested God's call on his life to be a spokesman for Israel by saying "please, Lord, I have never been eloquent...for I am slow of speech and slow of tongue."
God's response? "Who has made man's mouth? Or who makes him mute or deaf, or seeing or blind? Is it not I, the Lord?" Exodus 4:10-11. Here, God sends the stuttering for the purpose of Moses' greater dependence upon the Lord.
In Genesis, Joseph is sold as a boy into slavery because of the hatred and selfishness of his brothers. God, however, worked so powerfully in his life that the curse of sinful brothers became the catalyst for an amazing set of events that provided for the rescue of God's people from famine. At the end of the astounding story, Joseph affirmed to his wicked brothers: "As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive" Genesis 50:20.
We're left to marvel at the hideously wicked nature of man --selling one's younger brother into slavery-- and the amazingly redemptive purpose of God. The evil may have been sent from men but the purpose comes from God.
Another incredible event is the story of Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5. Having lied to the Holy Spirit, they dropped dead when confronted by the Apostle Peter. Clearly, their death was brought on because of sin yet God brought a ripple effect out of that event, as we are told that "great fear came over the whole church" Acts 5:11. Sin brings the death, God brings the purpose.
When Paul speaks of his 'thorn in the flesh' he calls it "a messenger from Satan to torment me" 2 Corinthians 12:7. However, in the same verse he affirms that it was sent for a very God-like reason, to keep Paul from exalting himself. The messenger may be from Satan but the purpose is from God. When Paul prayed for relief, God in His goodness actually gave him something better than healing -- grace!
So the answer is Yes. Sickness, pain, and heartbreak come from all directions but are ultimately resting with the purpose and the plan of God. They sit under that great umbrella of Sovereignty, whether we can see it or not.
I've learned over the years to look at two things in order to see both the immediate source of events, as well as the Ultimate Source for those same events. I should have an eye on earth and an eye in the heavenly places. It is that perspective that is echoed in the life of Joseph and others. Others meant it for evil but God meant it for good. And it is that perspective that guides me through life's issues.
In the end I can rest assured that God's purpose is brought about in every single event that occurs in my life. Without a doubt, many good things are brought to us through hardship. Yet the gift is not in the hardship but in that God meets me there to bring about something glorious.
