668 The Spiritual Man
of job is a perfect example.) Because of this, God must prolong the
sickness. He will not withdraw His instrument before He has
achieved His purpose. The end in all communications between God
and the believer is to bring the latter to an unconditional submission
to Him, gladly welcoming any treatment from Him. God is not
pleased with that person who praises Him in prosperity but
complains against Him in adversity. God does not want His own to
doubt His love or misunderstand His acts so easily: He wants them to
obey Him even to death.
God intends His children to recognize that everything which
comes upon them is given by Him. However dangerous is the
physical or environmental circumstance, it is measured by His hand.
Even the falling of a hair is within His will. Should a person resist
what comes upon him he cannot but be resisting as well the God
Who permits these occurrences. And should he develop a heart of
hatred following a painful period of sickness, he cannot but be hating
the God Who allowed it to happen to him. The question under
discussion is not whether a believer ought to be sick but whether he
is opposing God. God wants His own to forget their sickness when
ill. Yes, forget their sickness and look away steadfastly at God.
Suppose His will is for me to be sick and to continue to be so; am I
ready to accept it? Can I humble myself beneath the mighty hand of
God and resist not? Or do I covet in suffering a health which is
outside God’s present purpose? Can I wait until His end is fulfilled
before asking in His will for healing? Or will I seek other means of
healing while He is chastening me? Am I, in the time of deep
suffering, striving for what He presently will not grant? These
questions should pierce deeply into the heart of every sick believer.
God takes no pleasure in His children’s sickness. Rather does His
love make Him desire smooth peaceful days for them. But He knows
the danger: in time of ease our love towards Him, our words of praise
and our service for Him, are conditioned by peaceful living. He
knows how easily our hearts can turn from Him and His will to His