Eight Reasons Why God Sends Sickness

It’s one of the most timely things I’ve read. Found in a book titled The Afflicted Man’s Companion, these words (written by John Willison in Scotland in 1737) are immensely helpful for today. This selection comes from the very beginning of the book, “General Directions to All Families and Persons Visited with Sickness.” I’m sure you will agree – these are helpful spiritual thoughts for the present.

Direction 1. Diligently inquire into the ends and designs for which GOD usually sends sickness and afflictions upon men.

AN infinitely holy and gracious God hath various and wise ends in afflicting the children of men, whether they be converted or unconverted, which ought to be duly considered by all, and especially by those who are visited with sickness; some of which I shall mention.

1 – God sends sickness so that sinners will consider their souls.

God visits with sickness, to cause careless sinners to bethink themselves concerning their soul’s estate, who, perhaps, never had a serious thought about it before. There are many who, when in health and strength, are so intent upon the pleasures and profits of the world that they mind nothing else; all the warnings, exhortations, and counsels of ministers, teachers, and friends, are lost upon them; they cannot endure to entertain a thought of God, of the soul, of death, of heaven, of hell, or of judgment to come, till God doth cast them into some sickness or bodily distress; and then sometimes they begin, with the prodigal, to come to themselves, and bethink themselves concerning their souls and a future life. Now, this is God’s design: “If they bethink themselves in the land whether they are carried captives, and repent.” 1 Kings 8:47.

By sickness, God gives a man that before was wholly diverted from the care of his soul by business, company, and pleasures, occasion to bethink himself. The man is now confined to his chamber, is deprived of his former company and diversions, and so gets time and leisure to commune with his own heart, and reflect on his former ways, and to hear what conscience speaks concerning a judgment-day, and a world to come, and his need of a Savior. And so, by the blessing of God upon such afflictions, not a few have begun their first acquaintance with God and Christ, and serious religion. Nay, it is in the furnace that Christ has usually formed the most excellent vessels of honor and praise. “I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction.” Isa. 48:10. Manasseh, the prodigal, Paul, and the jailer, were all chosen there.

2 – God sends sickness to teach us things we do not know.

God visits us with sickness, in order to instruct and teach us things we know not. Psa. 90:12. It was the saying of Luther, Via crucis est via lucis – The path of the cross is the path of light. And indeed the school of affliction is the place where many of Zion’s scholars have made good proficiency in spiritual and experimental knowledge. Now, there are several remarkable lessons which God would teach us by the rod.

We learn the knowledge of God

One is the knowledge of God. It is said of Manasseh, “When he was in affliction, then Manasseh knew that the Lord was God.” 2 Chron. 33:12,13. Though Manasseh was well educated, and early taught the knowledge of God, yet till now he knew not the Lord; but now he knew him in his power and greatness, his holiness and hatred of sin; now he knew God in his goodness and mercy, and wondered that he had kept him so long out of hell.

We learn the knowledge of ourselves.

Another lesson is the knowledge of ourselves. In time of health and prosperity, we are apt to forget ourselves and our mortality; but sickness causeth us to know that we are but men, and frail men, Psalm 9:20 – that God hath an absolute sovereignty over us, and can as easily crush us as we do a moth.

We learn the emptiness of the world.

He teacheth us the emptiness of the world. How vain a help is that which fails a man in the time of his greatest need; and ofttimes we see, that worldly means and friends can neither give the least ease to the bodies, nor comfort to the souls of persons under sickness and distress.

We learn the great evil of sin.

Another lesson is the great evil of sin, which is the cause of all sickness and diseases whatsoever. “For this cause many are weak and sickly among you.” 1 Cor. 11:30. Ah, what a root of bitterness must that be, which brings forth such bitter fruit!

We learn the value of Christ and His promises.

He showeth us the preciousness and excellency of Christ and his promises, which alone can enable a Christian to rejoice in tribulation, and be calm under the greatest pains and diseases. There are many who are indifferent about Christ in times of health, who, when sickness comes, through the blessing of God do change their note, and cry, O for an interest in Christ above all things!

3 – God sends sickness to mortify sin.

God sends such trials and distresses, in order to mortify and kill sin in us. “By this shall the iniquity of Jacob be purged, and this is all the fruit to take away his sin.” Isa. 27:9. And indeed sickness and affliction have a tendency to weaken and subdue our prevailing sins and lusts.

O man, is thy heart turned hard, so that thou art not sensible of thy own sins or of others’ sufferings? God sees meet to try the fire of affliction, to see if it will melt thy frozen heart. Hast thou undervalued health, and slighted thy mercies? Now God removes them from thee, that by the want of them thou mayest know the worth of them. Art thou turned proud and self-conceited? God sends thee a thorn in the flesh to prick the swollen bladder of pride, that thou mayest not be puffed up above measure; God lays thee low upon thy bed, that thou mayest be lowly in thy heart. Doth love to the world prevail in thee? God sends affliction to discover its emptiness, and wean thee from it. Art thou fallen secure, dead, and formal? God sends affliction to awake thee, that thou mayest not sleep the sleep of death.

4 – God sends sickness to make us prayerful.

God sends sickness to awaken in us the spirit of prayer and supplication, and make us more earnest and importunate in our addresses to the throne of grace. There is a great difference between our prayers in health and in sickness, between our humiliations in prosperity and in adversity. In prosperity we pray heavily and drowsily; but adversity adds wings to our desires. “Lord, in trouble have they visited thee; they poured out a prayer when thy chastening was upon them.” Isa. 26:16. Though they were backward enough to pray before, yet they pour it out most freely now. The very heathen mariners cried aloud to God in a storm. What a famous prayer did Manasseh make when he was under his iron fetters. We find it thrice mentioned. 2 Chron 33:13, 18, 19. And the voice of fervent prayer is what the Lord desires to hear.

5 – God sends sickness so that we will long for heaven.

Another end is, to loosen our hearts from the things of this world, and cause us to look and long for heaven. When we enjoy health and ease in this world, we are apt to say with Peter on the mouth, “it is good for us to be here;” but when distress cometh, God’s people will turn their tongue, and say with the Psalmist, “It is good for me to draw near to God.” Psalm 73:28. When things here go well with us, we are apt to think ourselves at home; but when trouble ariseth, we begin to say, Arise, let us depart, this is not our rest. Though heaven was much out of sight and out of mind before, yet, when afflicting sickness comes, the poor believer will sign, and say with David, “O that I had wings, like a dove; for then would I fly away and be at rest. I would hasten my escape from the windy tempest.” Psalm 55:6.

6 – God sends sickness so that the world will be bitter, and Christ will be sweet to us.

God designs to make the world bitter, and Christ sweet to us. By such afflictions, he lets men see that the world is nothing but vanity and vexation of spirit – that riches avail not in the day of wrath; then it is that they may see the insufficiency of the world to relive them – that, as one saith, “A velvet slipper cannot cure the gout, a golden cap cannot drive away the headache, nor a bed of down give ease in a fever.” And as the world turns bitter, so Christ grows sweet to the believer.

In time of ease and health, Christ is often very much neglected and forgot. As the disciples, while the sea was calm, suffered Christ to sleep with them in the ship, thinking they might make their voyage well enough without his help; but when they are ready to be drowned, then they see their need of Christ, they awake him, crying, “Master, save us, or we perish;” so the best of saints, when all is easy ab out them, are prone to suffer Christ to sleep within them, and thus neglect the lively actings of faith on Christ; but when the storm of affliction begins to rise, and they are ready to be overwhelmed with distress, then they cry, “None but Christ, none but Christ.”

7 – God sends sickness to prove and improve the graces of Christians.

God visists with sickness and distress, in order both to prove and improve his people’s graces. Deut. 8:2; Rev 2:10.

Afflictions prove, or test, the reality of our grace.

Grace is hereby both tried and strengthened. Such afflictions do prove both the truth and strength of our graces, as they serve to try if we love God for himself – if we can endure and hold out in serving him, waiting and depending upon him, nothwithstanding discouragements. That faith will suffice for a little affliction, that will not suffice for a great one. Peter had faith enough to come upon the sea at Christ’s call; but as soon as the waves began to swell, his faith began to faith and his feet to sink, till Christ mercifully caught hold of him, saying, “O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?” Matt. 14:31. Little did Peter think his faith was so weak till now.

Afflictions improve the reality of our grace.

They tend to improve our graces also, by quickening and strengthening them. They serve as a whetstone to sharpen faith, so that the soul is made to renounce earthly shelters, and to clasp about God in Christ, as its only refuge and portion. They excite to repentance and serious mourning for sin; for, like the winter frost and snows, they make the fallow-ground of our heart more tender. They prompt us to heavenly-mindedness, self-denial, and patient waiting on God. Yea, the experience of God’s people can attest it, that grace is never more lively than under affliction. David never found himself better, as to his spiritual state, than when he was persecuted and hunted as a partridge on the mountains; and hence he says, “It is good for me that I have been afflicted.” Psalm 119:71.

8 – God sends sickness so that we would learn to redeem the time.

God’s aim is, to awaken us to redeem time, to prepare for flitting, and clear up our evidence for heaven. In the time of health we are apt to trifle away time, to loiter on our journey, and forget that we are pilgrims on the earth; wherefore God sends sickness as his messenger, to remind us thereof.

Now it highly concerns us, when sickness attacks us, to consider and meditate upon these ends for which God brings on distress, and pray earnestly that they may be accomplished in us; and so our sickness shall not be unto death, spiritual or eternal, but to the glory of God and the good of our souls.