“Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.” (Isaiah 26:3)
If you believe that the Lord is overly concerned with the current condition of your flesh, of your health, then you have not studied the examples given to us in His Word of those who served Him before us, you have done no serious research into what has come upon those who loved Him to the loss of all else in the past or even today.
For some reason those whom I must call Christians here today have determined that their health is a current factor in determining whether or not they are in what they would call the good graces of the Almighty. When sickness or pain befalls them, they seek for sin in their lives, and thereby lay the blame at their Father in heaven when none is found.
By default then, in their minds, a healthy Christian is a happy Christian.
“Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.” (Phil. 4:11)
The normal response seems to be that “God is trying to tell me something” if no visible sin is found in their lives, so then, one who is not suffering in the flesh believes they can rest assured that the Lord is pleased with them. Their current fleshly condition, and even that of their mind, is as far as their faith goes.
And so again, when pain arrives so do the prayers of asking Him to remove that pain.
I met a man yesterday who suffered a serious accident, and as is usual for me, the Scriptures came to bear in the conversation. When he mentioned that he knew of people that were praying for him to have a full recovery, that the physical pain as well as his mental anguish would soon be a thing of the past, I told him that would not be the main concerns of my prayers for him.
I will let you imagine the face he offered to me after those words.
I said to him that I would pray for him to find contentment in his condition.
He understood. Do you?
“And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of.” (Gen. 22:2)
Three days of despair in the mind of Abraham that few will ever know.
“And the LORD said unto Satan, Behold, he is in thine hand; but save his life.” (Job 2:6)
And on that dunghill Job still praised the Almighty.
“And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores.” (Luke 16:21)
And Lazarus gave thanks every time.
“Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.” (Luke 22:42)
The fulness of the wrath of God, pain beyond pain, so that those that trust in His name will never know that pain.
The Living God did not spare His own Son from pain, yet for some reason today many who profess to serve Him believe that is the proof of His love, a life lived not apart from pain, but never calling it their close companion, always seeking for it to be removed from them as soon as possible so that they can once again be happy in the Lord.
To be in the fellowship of His suffering is to know physical pain that will not abate and thank Him for it. It is to know grief and sorrow, to live with them as close, personal companions, and praise His name for the wisdom that brought them to you. It is to hate the world yet venture out into it every day and search for your brothers and sisters who are still lost.
It is not to love your life to the death.
These pains are not sought after by many who have been crucified with Him, but sought out for or not, when they arrive our first thoughts, our first prayers are not to be those of asking Him to remove them from us, but to learn the lesson of remaining content in Him until they pass.
And if they do not, we ask to be taught how to remain content.
