Sick and Tired

This past week, I have literally been sick and tired. I do not know the direct cause of my illness. It is probably due to the stress that always builds this time of year, enhanced by extra speaking assignments, travel, rich foods, decreased exercise, and a handful of other concerns. It may be the result of contracting an illness picked up last week. Whatever the source, I have lost a great deal of sleep and limited my workdays to catching up on the hundreds of emails I ignored for ten days, which has added to the stress.

Sickness is part of the human condition. We are biological creatures that run down if we fail to provide our bodies with adequate nutrition, exercise, sleep, and whatever other requirements they have. In addition, we sometimes do foolish or even sinful things that result in illness or disease. Some have proposed that humanity has degenerated over the last six thousand years, and mankind has certainly not helped itself in terms of air and water pollution, junk food, and toxic chemicals in our environment.

Of course, as God's children, we can call upon Him for healing. He is our Healer and promises to keep us from the terrible diseases of this world if we obey Him (Exodus 15:26; see 23:25; Deuteronomy 7:15). In Psalm 103:3, He assures us that He is the One "who forgives all your iniquities, who heals all your diseases." During His ministry, Jesus healed everyone who asked "according to [their] faith" (Matthew 9:29). He gave Himself in sacrifice for the forgiveness of our sins, and it is by His stripes that we are healed (Isaiah 53:5; I Peter 2:24). John writes, "And whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight" (I John 3:22), showing that our healing is conditional upon obedience and right living.

This is a wonderful promise! These days—with all the horrendous diseases like Covid-19 and the specter of biowarfare—it is a welcome relief to know that God is the Great Physician and our Father. We can live confidently, knowing we can rely on God's protection.

On the other hand, we should not be foolish, stupid, or careless in these matters. Certainly, we should not put ourselves in harm's way or tempt God by trying to force Him to act on our behalf (Deuteronomy 6:16; see Matthew 4:7). There may be no quicker way to invoke the wrath of Almighty God (Exodus 17:1-7)!

So we should ask ourselves when we are sick and tired and in need of God's healing, "What have I done to bring this on? Have I been foolishly avoiding the principles of good health? Have I tempted God with my lifestyle? Has He withheld His protection so that I might get sick and have the opportunity to learn a lesson and repent of a sin?" If we are honest with ourselves, we will find ourselves answering, "Yes" to some or all these questions.

If so—if we have not been treating the temple of God's Holy Spirit properly—if we have been burning the midnight oil or the candle at both ends—if we have been feeding it low-quality fare, avoiding vegetables, or overindulging in sugary or fatty foods—if we have been skipping even moderate exercise, like taking walks—if we have been carrying too much weight, etc.—then we need to do something about it! That is the essence of repentance: change!

For too long, I feel, members of God's church have not emphasized this last part of the process enough. We are happy and eager to take advantage of God's mercy and blessing to be healed, but too often we have not made the necessary changes to show Him that we indeed learned our lesson and wish to please Him by living healthfully from then on.

The process works the same physically as spiritually because it is a universal, eternal law. If we do wrong and seek forgiveness, God, by His grace and mercy, forgives and leads us to repentance (Romans 2:4). But He cannot repent for us! That is our job. He takes us as far as He can along the way, but we must make the changes so that repentance actually occurs. We must, by whatever strength we can muster with God's help, bear down and change.

The next time you get sick and tired, as I was this past week, please think about this principle. Make the changes to your physical lifestyle to correct the weaknesses that contributed to your illness. It can only improve your life and health—and it may encourage you to make the far more vital spiritual changes that lead to eternal life.