Sick to Death

(Php 2:27 KJV)  For indeed he was sick nigh unto death: but God had mercy on him; and not on him only, but on me also, lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow.

(Proverbs 10 also read)

In Philippians we are reading about one of Paul’s co-workers who was seriously ill.  They seemed to be worried that he would die.  I am sure that they consulted local medical experts but keep in mind that they had none of the modern life saving devices and substances available today.  When they say they were afraid he would die, it was not an idle statement.  This should be a reminder to us that even if you are serving the Lord with all your might, for reasons we don’t understand you can still get sick.  You might die.

We sometimes get the idea that we are immune.  God could make us that way.  In fact, I think He does quite a bit of immunizing.  God’s “mercy” (1653) can not only heal, it can protect.  Since God designed our immune system and we are told that Jesus holds all things together we need to accept the fact that suffering can have a value.

So?  I would say we obviously practice common sense hygiene, exercise and watch what we eat.  While we are doing those things we should also be aware of Providence.  God is in charge.  He may steer all the microbes away from you.  He may let you get sick.  We still trust and rejoice.