Suffering is a part of the fallen condition of humanity. It comes in many shapes and forms. It is one thing to endure the external weather elements of trial bearing down on us, by which we attempt to set up barriers and coverings to shield ourselves. But when the enemy is (internal) a physical sickness (cancer, disease, autoimmune issues, organ problems, muscular-skeletal injuries, chronic pain, mental, etc….) from within, it is a different matter entirely. Our view of God tends to develop around our understanding of (a) why he is allowing such sickness to occur, (b) what role does his will play in illness and (c) what will his response be to our prayers of relief from our suffering.
In this Psalm, David appears to be suffering a severe sickness that manifested itself by pain throughout his entire body, thus his cry to God, “…for my bones are troubled.” Bible scholars are not sure what particular infirmity he is dealing with nor what specific event in his life this Psalm was associated with. What we are sure of is that David petitions God to relieve his suffering by appealing to his mercy. Here are some additional helpful thoughts to consider about David’s prayer.
Sickness & God’s Discipline. David believed that his sickness was an instrument of God’s chastening rod upon him and pleaded with God to end his anger with him, thus, “…rebuke me not in your anger, nor discipline me in your wrath.” A couple of thoughts come to mind:
Has God used sickness to correct? From an Old Testament perspective, yes. First, we must remember God disciplines those whose he loves. “My son, do not despise the Lord’s discipline or be weary of his reproof, (12) for the Lord reproves him whom he loves, as a father the son in whose he delights” (Prv 3:11-12). Hebrews adds, “It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons (and daughters). For what son is there whom his father does not discipline?….(11) For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it” (Heb 12:7,11). His love will not standby and watch sin destroy our lives without a response from Heaven. We see examples throughout scripture where sickness was used as a chastening rod towards his chosen people. Examples are:
- King Uzziah (2 Chr 26:16-21). In pride, he entered the temple of the Lord to burn incense at the altar of incense which only was ordained for the priest (sons of Aaron) to do. He was struck with leprosy.
- King Jehoram of Judah (2 Chr 21). He led God’s people in idol worship and killed all his brothers out of envy. He was struck with terminal bowel’s disease.
How does God work in sickness under the new covenant? There are very view examples of God using illness (or physical handicap) as tool bring attention to and halt a dangerous path a person was on (e.g. Apostle Paul in his conversion on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:1-9) and Jewish magician Bar-Jesus were both struck with blindness for their efforts to stop the Gospel mission, Acts 13:6-12). When we carefully study the life of Jesus in the Gospels, and the New Testament writings, it is clear that God does not primarily use sickness as a form of discipline, for it is already a part of the fallen creation. Further, both the righteous and wicked experience sickness alike (cf. Mt 5:45). Instead, (Because of Christ) God works in a redemptive way in the broken world. He looks upon broken vessels with love that he alone has the power to piece them back together that we may serve in the purpose we were created for. No human being is immune to some form of illness whether light, chronic, or severe. Additionally, some illnesses we have are allowed to persist until an appointed time, so that God can be glorified in our healing. Remember the disciples assumed that a man was blind from birth because his parents sinned. Jesus corrects such a way of thinking by saying, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him”(Jn 9:1-3). In some cases we have infirmities that are allowed to remain because through God’s grace he uses them to train us in humility and strengthen our dependence on him (2 Cor 12:7-9). In our weaknesses, he is shown strong.
Merciful God. David prays that God end his suffering by appealing to the character of God, “Be gracious to me, O Lord, for I am languishing;” The pain from the illness that David experienced was felt in his entire body. Without intervention from God, David feared he would waste away. Like David, when I pray for people (and myself) when it comes to healing, I always appeal to God’s mercy as a foundation to my prayer. It doesn’t matter whether the illness was self-inflicted or not. My prayer is still the same, “God, please help.” I am always encouraged that, “The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. (9) He will not always chide, nor will he keep his anger forever. (10) He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities” (Ps 103:8-10). Remember, even if we are consistently faithful in the will of God, we are not spared sicknesses. Paul had a fellow worker who labored with him in the gospel mission named Epaphroditus who fell ill to the point of death all while serving the Lord. In his letter to the Philippians, Paul does not say that Epaphroditus’ good works merited deliverance from illness, but rather God had mercy on him and healed him (Phi 2:25-27).
It is the mercy of God David longs for and appeals to God to cease from delay in delivering him, thus his cry, “My soul also is greatly troubled. But you, O Lord – how long?” Our confidence is in God for we know only he can truly deliver and preserve us in difficulty in life. Like David, our faith is in God’s character, sovereignty, and providence by which we place our hope. God is still in the healing business. Through Christ, he cares for you and I. Amen.
Blessings,
Dr. Jason S. Price, Th.D
www.springoflivingwaters.com