Is God in control of your health? (Part 1)  – Friday, 28 July

“The Lord is …patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance (or salvation).”
 2 Peter 3:9 ESV  (brackets mine)
 

God’s desire (or will) is that no one should perish. John 3:16 confirms this, saying that Jesus came so that “whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” Jesus came to do the will of the Father (John 6:38), and that means that God’s will is that we should not perish. We’ve already seen how sickness is a means of perishing. Sickness certainly isn’t meant to bless us, or build us up, or improve our lives. No, sickness is destructive and our good, loving Heavenly Father does not want anyone to perish, or have sickness.

But if you look at life in general, people perish every day. Whether they perish after death in the after-life, or in this life through sickness, depression or poverty, many people perish. This raises a very important truth: God’s will doesn’t automatically come to pass.

When sickness comes or someone ends up in some tragedy, believers and unbelievers alike often blame God and wonder why He is allowing or causing so much pain and suffering. If you don’t know that God’s will doesn’t automatically come to pass, then to make sense of your situation you might wrongly conclude that “God must have a purpose in this” or “maybe I still need to learn something, and that’s why I am not healed yet” or even worse, “maybe this is punishment for some sin I committed”. People find comfort in these lies, but the truth is that although God desires that we not perish and He desires that we be in health (3 John 2), people perish every day. The reason is that God’s will doesn’t just automatically come to pass.

I heard about a teenager who overdosed on drugs and died. At the funeral, the minister declared that “God’s ways are higher than our ways, and God must have some purpose in this tragedy.” Sadly, far too many Christians believe this, and yet it’s a load of rubbish. A loving, perfect Father would never force drugs on His child leading to their death! That’s not God.

“The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows).”
John 10:10 AMP
 

The thief is the devil, and he is not working for God. The enemy is the one who steals, kills and brings destruction in your life, not God. God’s will for you is that you have and enjoy life to the full! Sickness is not abundant life, health and wholeness are.

Much love,