On Sickness and afflictions:
Some sicknesses are from God....
....”Who has made man’s mouth? Or who makes him dumb or deaf, or seeing or blind? Is it not I, the Lord?” ...Exodus 4:11
God made the disabled and infirm..... Babies are born every day with defects. ....Many children grow up with congenital deformities. ....Some people have illnesses that last for years..... While it is unexplainable according to our human logic, it is all part of God’s sovereign, loving plan.
Some sicknesses are from Satan......
God may allow Satan to inflict illness for His own sovereign reasons..... The classic example is Job... Job chapter 1 also Luke 13:11-13
Some sickness is God’s chastisement for sin. .....
....”Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I keep Thy word” .....Ps. 119:67.. also Numbers 12.. Deut. 28:20-22... 2 Kings 5
Other examples:
God tormenting the Egyptians with skin boils... Ex. 9:8-12
Inflicting King Jeroboam with leprosy....2 Kings 15:5
Striking Saul with blindness ....Acts 9:1-19
The Bible also tells us plainly that God disciplines the Church through sickness, hardship, and even death... 1 Cor. 11:28-30... Heb. 12:7... Acts 5:1-11 ......
That we should joyfully accept trials “of many kinds” because God uses them to make us mature James 1:2-4... Psalm 119:71,75. .......
Clearly God allows and even causes sickness for His own sovereign purposes.
Nothing like having health problems to get our attention focused on God.
I don’t know of really any people who sought God when they were fat, dumb, and happy. When things are going well in any area of our lives, we don’t see the need to seek God. We think we can handle it on our own.
Nothing like having health problems to cut the ego down to size. It can force us into a corner that forces us to look up instead of in, just like financial hardship. People only cry out to God when they’re having problems and there’s nothing so near and dear to our hearts as our health and prosperity.