"Are You Grateful?"

If you are like me then as you read this list of the many benefits of the Lord you fixed upon one that caused you to not really hear all of the rest. Which one is it that caused you to pause? I bet I know – “He heals all your diseases.” That one stopped you because you know from experience that all of our diseases are not healed. Many die from diseases that are not healed. People of all ages die from disease all over the world. Disease and illness know no boundaries; they affect rich and poor, all races, all stops on the ladder of education, and they span the globe.

All of our diseases are not healed; sometimes the Lord brings death and not the restoration of our health. I will assure you of this – every sickness that you have ever suffered and that you have recovered from has been healing from the hand of God. In Deuteronomy 32:39 we read about the sovereignty of God.

39 “See now that I myself am He! There is no god besides me. I put to death and I bring to life, I have wounded and I will heal, and no one can deliver out of my hand. (Deuteronomy 32:39 NIV)

God is sovereign my friend. He is in control, has always been in control, and will remain in control forever and forever. Death, the worst of man’s enemies, is even under His divine command! For those who trust in Jesus the sting of death has been removed as Paul reminds us in 1 Corinthians 15. Read along with me.

54 When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.” 55 “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” 56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Corinthians 15:54-57 NIV)

I praise God that although there is death everyday, that death is the future for all who live until Christ’s return, death is the not the final destination for those who are in Christ Jesus! Death has been swallowed up in the ultimate healing of eternal life!

Let’s go on with the list provided for us in verses 2-5. God forgives all of our sins and He redeems our life from the pit. We can seek counsel until the end of our days to try and alleviate our guilt. We can dismiss our sin by comparing ourselves to others more vile than ourselves. We can be found innocent in a court of law and yet if we are guilty our conscious will constantly remind us of our guilt in the quiet hours of the night. King David knew the prison of guilt; his soul was worn out by the sin of his heart until he took his sin to the Sin-Bearer, the One who forgives us of our sin. David writes,

1 Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. 2 Blessed is the man whose sin the LORD does not count against him and in whose spirit is no deceit. 3 When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. 4 For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer. Selah 5 Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD”—and you forgave the guilt of my sin. (Psalm 32:1-5 NIV)