A Prayer For The Dark/Sick Times In Life (Psalm 6) Series

And so, in some churches, you'll then hear John 9 used as a filter to read the rest of the Bible. But let's turn to 1 Corinthians 10:27-32 (NIV no reason):

27 So then, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. 28 Everyone ought to examine themselves before they eat of the bread and drink from the cup. 29 For those who eat and drink without discerning the body of Christ eat and drink judgment on themselves. 30 That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep. 31 But if we were more discerning with regard to ourselves, we would not come under such judgment. 32 Nevertheless, when we are judged in this way by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be finally condemned with the world

When Christians are sick, the reason for that, sometimes, is that God is disciplining them. That sickness is designed to make you come to your senses, and come crawling back to God. You serve a God who will heal all of your diseases (Psalm 103:3). But you have to come back to God. And you have to ask. Healing isn't automatic. All of this, basically, is Psalm 6. This psalm, is one that the Corinthian church could've prayed after receiving Paul's letter.

Now, I'm not saying that every sickness is a rebuke or discipline from God. Sometimes, I think it's God testing you-- I think the Spirit brings you to Satan, and sees how you hold up, and uses that to strengthen your faith (Matt. 4; 6:13). Other times, I think we make ourselves vulnerable to Satan because our spiritual armor is missing pieces. And Satan knows where to aim, and he can mess us up physically [And if you ever see me sick, feel free to ask me how I'm doing spiritually.].

[And if a non-Christian is sick, I would say that their sickness is demonic, and not from God (Acts 10:38; Matt. 9:1). God doesn't use sickness to bring non-Christians to him. God's will is that Christians free them from sickness, in Christ, through the Spirit.]

I think there's at least a few reasons why Christians get sick. And we aren't necessarily going to know why it happened. But, at the end of the day, I'm confident of one thing: God wants everyone to be healthy. That's God's will for you. And if you're not healthy, you can echo the psalmist, and ask God to heal you. And if that's not working, you should go to the elders, and they will pray for you with faith, and you will be healed (James 5:14-16).

At the end of verse 4, the psalmist asks a question: "How long?"

There are times when you pray for healing, and God doesn't answer. You still have the same bad hip, or knee, or heart. You call, and call, and there's nothing. If that's happening to you, feel free to challenge God on this point. "How long, exactly, are you going to let me stay sick? How long, exactly, are you planning to ignore me?"

Prayer is not about telling God what you think He wants to hear. Honest prayer, tells God how you actually feel. If you're frustrated, or impatient, let God know.