2003-05-26 - Health

Job 2:5 However, put forth Thy hand, now, and touch his bone and his flesh; he will curse Thee to Thy face.

We have been doing a series in Job, off and on, for a while now and I would like to take today as an aside part of this series. The Lord allowed satan to take Job's health away from him and this past week I had exposure to more health issues than ever before. Thus it has made me think. It is probably true that we don't really cherish our health until we lose it and want it back. Job viewed his health as coming from God. When it was withdrawn he still viewed it as being the hand of God.

It is often hard for us to attribute our struggles, or the struggles of those close to us, especially health struggles, to God. This is exactly what Job did. He says in Job 2:10, "'Shall we accept the good from God and not accept adversity?' In all this Job did not sin with his lips" It is much easier to feel that satan is doing something or is in control, but such is not the case. One of the clear teachings of the book of Job is that God is in control. He was even in control of Job's health. Job knew this and he says in 13:15, "Though He slay me, I will hope in Him."

I'm not saying it is easy to trust the Lord when we endure struggles of any kind, but where else can we turn? There is one key thing to learn here. When things go well with us we thank the Lord for His blessings. We attribute the goodness we experience to Him. This is what we should do. But what about when things do not go so well with us? Can we still see the hand of God? Could not our struggles be gifts from the Lord to help us grow in grace and understanding, depth and personal piety? The truth is that praise is due to God when He gives and when He takes away. There can be as much love expressed toward us in His taking as there is in His giving.

Lastly, there is a second kind of health for God's people. Saving health is also a gift from the Lord. We read in Psalm 42:11, "Why are you in despair, O my soul? And why have you become disturbed within me? Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him, the help of my countenance, and my God." God brings health to our souls. We do not need to despair because our hope is in God. God also brings health to nations and churches. He also is the help and cure of both. In addition, national spiritual health is attributed to the Lord in Jeremiah 14:19. This why I encourage you to pray for revival. We can pray for revival in our hearts, in our churches, and in our nation. We pray because it is only the Lord who can bring spiritual health to these areas of our lives.

Soli Deo Gloria,
T-

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