The Bible lists many reasons that sickness is allowed to come into our lives. When sickness comes, our job is to determine the reason that God sent it and then act accordingly.
10 Biblical Reasons that Sickness Comes
#1. Sickness unto Death II Kings 13:14 Now, we all know that there will come a day that we will die, and we have to die of something! We know that "it is appointed unto man once to die..." Heb. 9:27. So, why do we fight it? We need to be willing to determine if that is God's purpose in sending the sickness. Maybe it is just our time to go. The doctors keep saying, "We could try one more thing." , adding more and more burden of expense to your family after you do go. If it seems that this is the time, take it gracefully. God will give you the strength you need.
#2 Sickness as a Chastisement for Sin Exodus 15:26 Often sickness is sent because God is dealing with an area of sin in our lives. An illness should trigger an automatic reaction to search our hearts and see if there is sin that needs to be confessed and forsaken.
#3 Sickness for the Glory of God John 9:1-3 Often God just wants to show His power in our lives. He wants to receive the glory for an illness that suddenly is healed and can only be attributed to Him! He delights in showing His power on our behalf.
#4 Sickness because of poor stewardship of the body. Phil. 2:25-30 This passage mentions Epaphroditus who had worked so hard for the work of the Lord that he neglected to care for himself and therefore became sick. We often neglect the most obvious reasons that we get illnesses and they often come because of our lack of attention to the needs of our body. God created our bodies to need a balance of nutrition. When we lack something, the balance of our health gets out of line and sickness comes. Our current FDA approved foods lack the vital nutrients that our bodies need to function. Go back to the Garden of Eden and remember what it was that God intended for us to eat. Food in its most natural state will keep your health in balance. Our bodies are a gift that God has given to us and we are to take care of them responsibly so that we are able to do the tasks that He has intended for us. If we are ill, we will not be able to bring Him the glory that He desires. How many people do we know that have been put out of commission because they neglected the care of their bodies? Do you leave the care of your health in the hands of your doctor or do you seek ways to care for it on your own? It is YOUR responsibility!
#5 Sickness to turn the heart toward God II Corinthians 12:7-10 God often sends sickness so that our hearts can be closer drawn to Him. How many times have we seen the Lord work in the hearts of people when a serious diagnosis is given? A life threatening illness will almost always get people to think of the future and how they need to be ready. We have also seen many who have a malady that may last throughout their lifetime, and yet they work through the problem bringing glory to God by forgetting themselves and allowing Him to shine through. Our example is the Apostle Paul, who had some sort of physical problem that he entreated the Lord for 3 times, yet, he allowed God to receive the glory. He learned not to see it as suffering, but as a special opportunity to be humbled and to allow God to be strong in his weakness.
#6 Sickness that comes as a result of guilt Psalms 32:3-4 A lot of sickness that is brought into our lives comes because of sin that we know of that needs to be dealt with. Our conscience weighs heavily and literally brings physical sickness as we agonize over what we have done and how we need to make things right. Even worry can cause upset of the balance of health. Taking care of spiritual needs is healthy!
#7 Sickness as a result of providential events Isaiah 38:1 Sometimes a sickness is sent because it is just part of God's plan for you. He is in control and as we acknowledge His sovereignty in our lives we will realize that we can be used in any way by Him for His glory.
#8 Sickness that is incidental Sometimes, we just get sick! We come in contact with germs, they enter our body and we become ill. Our kids play outside and find bacteria and it causes problems. There are sicknesses that just come because that is the way life is!
#9 Sickness that is communicable Leviticus 13&14, Romans 1:27 The book of Leviticus is filled with laws that God laid down for the children of Israel. God didn't just pull a bunch of "do nots" out of a hat. He had a purpose in every one of those laws. Chapters 13 and 14 particularly deal with avoiding germs and serious illness that comes from contact with certain things. Romans deals with sickness that comes as a result of sexual sins and the consequences of those.
#10 Sickness that is demonically induced Acts 5:16; Job 2:7 The Bible obviously states that there are sicknesses that are brought on by demonic forces. We believe that Christians cannot be possessed by demons, so this may not pertain to you. However, consider the story of Job. Perhaps your sickness is a test of your faith. God allows Satan to do things to test us to see how we will respond. Will you respond in faith or in doubt? Will you allow the illness to strengthen your faith or cause shipwreck of your testimony?
Keep these reasons in mind the next time you become sick or have been diagnosed with something serious. Search your heart and seek the Lord's purpose for the sickness.
*Used by permission from Pastor Dan Deatrick. You may listen to the entire sermon at: http://www.fbcwayland.org/sermons
