“Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven” (James 5:14-15).
Sickness is an unwelcome fact of life. Its unplanned interruption to our daily routine can generate questions which are not all answered in the Scriptures. James does affirm three truths about sickness. These are: 1) Being a Christian does not prevent all sickness. 2) God is the One who brings health to a sick person. (See two previous posts.)
And Truth # 3: Physical sickness can be quite beneficial spiritually.
David’s recounts a time in his life in which “his bed of illness” led him to seek God’s mercy and spiritual healing (Psalm 41:3-4). Sickness makes a person slow down and rest. Rest allows a person to think and engage in introspection. Introspection can result in a person identifying and repenting of sin. Because of the soul’s great value (Matthew 16:26), physical illness which results in improved spiritual health is a great blessing. (See tomorrow’s post for a further discussion of this.)
Physical sickness is also spiritually beneficial to a child of God when it results in death, the door into the better life. For one whose mindset is “to live is Christ and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21), death is a blessing (Revelation 14:13). It marks the final bell of the fight of faith. It is the tape at the finish line of life’s race (2 Timothy 4:7). With death there awaits the victor’s crown of righteousness (2 Timothy 4:8) and everlasting life. What unimaginable blessedness is found on the other side of death’s door.
