THE Lord desires His people to be prospered, be happy, and be in health. He says, "Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth." Health is a great treasure. It is the richest earthly possession that mortals can have. Wealth, honor, or learning is not to be compared to it. God has pledged Himself to keep this living machinery in healthy action if the human agent will obey His laws, and co-operate with God. God's thoughts toward us are thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give us an expected end. He wishes for us a happy future. He is not pleased to have us sick and suffer pain. In all our afflictions He is afflicted. He is "touched with the feeling of our infirmity." To His people anciently He promised that if they would keep His commandments and do them, He would take away all sickness from them. "And ye shall serve the Lord your God, and He shall bless thy bread, and thy water; and I will take sickness away from the midst of thee." Ex. 23:25. God kept that promise to His people. He kept them well for forty years in their journey from Egypt to Canaan. The divine record is, "There was not one feeble person among all their tribes; . . . for He remembered His holy promise." Ps. 105:37-42.
Does He not remember His holy promise now? Would it not be just as great a disgrace for God to break His promise now as when Jeremiah prayed, "Disgrace not the throne of Thy glory; remember, break not Thy covenant with us." Jer. 14:21. Let us pray, Lord, "remember the word unto Thy servant, upon which Thou hast caused me to hope." Ps. 119:49.
"All the promises of God in Him are yea, and in Him Amen." God is as good and sure as His word. 2 Cor. 1:20.
Does not the Lord desire us to sing as did the psalmist: "Bless the Lord, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless His holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits; who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases"? Ps. 103:1-3. Yes, He wishes to hush our groans and cries of pain, and put a new song in our mouths, even praises unto our God. "Many shall see and fear, and shall trust in the Lord." Ps. 40:3.
The Lord is waiting to honor our faith as He did the faith of the four men who brought the sick of palsy to Jesus. When they could not get the man to Jesus in the ordinary way of the door, because of the crowd, their faith led them to make a way in an extraordinary manner. They went on top of the house, and broke a hole in the roof, and let the man down to Jesus. And "when Jesus saw their faith, He said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee." The scribes said, "Why doth this Man thus speak blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God only?" Jesus said, "Whether is it easier to say to the sick of the palsy, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, take up thy bed, and walk?" Which do you think is easier for God, to forgive you of your sins, or to heal you of your diseases? "But that ye may know that the Son of Man hath power on earth to forgive sins (He saith to the sick of the palsy), I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy bed, and go thy way into thine house. And immediately he arose, took up his bed, and went forth before them all." Mark 2:1-12. Thank the Lord, He can forgive sins and He can heal all our diseases. My dear sick brother, or sister, have faith in God. "All things are possible to him that believeth." With God nothing is impossible. To the healed one, Jesus said, "Thy faith hath made thee whole." God is the fountain of life. Ps. 36:9. Come to this fountain, drink and live. "But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life." John 4:14.
Why do we not present our sick and suffering before God in the arms of our faith? Why do we not teach them to believe in the great Healer? Why do we not lay hold of the promises, and bring the sick to God, praying for His healing to be revealed? Why do we not plead the promise, "These signs shall follow them that believe?" This is the privilege of God's children, and faith should lay hold of all that it is possible to have as an endorsement of faith.
"They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick." Have you tried the great Physician? He says, "I am the Lord that healeth thee." Ex. 15:26. He is the one "who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases." Ps. 103:3. You may sing as did the psalmist:
"The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures; He leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul; He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake. Yea, tho I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for Thou art with me; Thy rod and Thy staff they comfort me." Ps. 23:1-4.
I ask you the same question that Jesus asked the impotent man at the pool of Bethesda, "Wilt thou be made whole?"
"The impotent man answered Him, Sir, I have no man, when the water is troubled, to put me into the pool; but while I am coming, another steppeth down before me. Jesus saith unto him, Rise, take up thy bed, and walk. And immediately the man was made whole, and took up his bed, and walked." John 5:7-9.
Of course you would like to be made whole, but are you willing to be made whole in the Lord's way? Our way is not always the Lord's way. His way is "the more excellent way."
"God be merciful unto us, and bless us; and cause His face to shine upon us; Selah. That Thy way may be known upon earth, thy saving health among all nations." Ps. 67:1, 2.
Here is a little story concerning a sick woman; you may have had a similar experience.
"And a certain woman, which had an issue of blood twelve years, and had suffered many things of many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was nothing better, but rather grew worse, when she heard of Jesus, came in the press behind, and touched His garment. For she said, If I may touch but His clothes, I shall be whole. And straightway the fountain of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of that plague." Mark 5:25-29.
Jesus did not fail in this case. Why not do as she did—come to Jesus? Here is another:
"When He was come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed Him. And, behold, there came a leper and worshiped Him, saying, Lord, if Thou wilt, Thou canst make me clean. And Jesus put forth His hand, and touched him, saying, I will; be thou clean. And immediately his leprosy was cleansed." Matt. 8:1-3.