Is God In Control Of Disabilities, Sickness and Suffering?

This is a very difficult and mysterious subject. It's one of those topics where God doesn't answer all our questions or show us exactly how what he does is good and wise. But, thankfully, God has spoken on this subject in his word. It is up to us to read it and respond with faith.

Is God in control of disabilities, sicknesses and suffering?

Some believe God has nothing to do with anything hurtful that happens. The Devil did it! (Though the book of Job demonstrates that God is in control even of the Devil!) But would this really make us feel better? That God wanted to stop it but couldn't? This is no comfort! If he was too weak to stop this suffering, how can we trust him with eternity? What if he loses? And why is this God worthy of worship? He needs a Rescuer to help him!
Our answer begins at the burning bush. In Exodus chapter four God has appeared to Moses in the burning bush to send him to deliver Israel from slavery in Egypt. Moses is making excuses to God. He complains that Israel will not believe that God sent him. So God empowers him with miraculous signs to prove it. One of the signs is very graphic. At God's command Moses puts his hand into his cloak and, when he removes it, it is "leprous like snow"! He returns it to his cloak and removes it, and his flesh is restored. This sign demonstrates God's power and sovereignty over the human body, and health & sickness.

Moses responds with another excuse. "I am not eloquent" (v10). God's reply to this excuse is very revealing:

Then the LORD said to him, "Who has made man's mouth? Who makes him mute, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? Is it not I, the LORD? Now therefore go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall speak. Exodus 4:11-12, ESV

These words are shocking to a generation who has been taught to define God according to their own opinions and desires. "To me, God is like..." Or the ever-popular, "My God would never..." Even many who have been raised in the church have sat under shallow, unbalanced teaching that emphasizes only one of God's many attributes (his love), while mostly ignoring others (his wrath, holiness, sovereignty). Only God can define God to us! Our idea and concept of God must be shaped around God's revelation of himself to us in his word.

And here in Exodus four, God himself is revealing his sovereignty over all things, including disabilities. God says that it is he (the LORD) who makes man "mute, or deaf, or seeing, or blind." And while many theologians, pastors and Christians today try to "get God off the hook" by explaining that he has nothing to do with suffering, God does not feel the need to apologize or even explain himself completely to us. He simply reminds us that it is he who has made man's mouth, in whatever condition we find it.

This is very hard for us to understand, but the same Bible that teaches God’s sovereignty also teaches his goodness. He is not cruel. God has good and wise reasons for all he does. John 9:1-3 explains this. In this passage we see Jesus and his disciples encountering a man who had been born blind. The disciples ask, "Who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?" Jesus taught that the man was born blind, not because he or his parents sinned, but to display the glory, the works of God! This gives us more insight into our question. Here we learn that those with disabilities (or disease, or suffering, etc) are not necessarily worse sinners than those who are healthy and not experiencing suffering. Also, we learn that at least one purpose, or reason, for the suffering is to glorify God, which is our purpose for existing (Gen 1:26; Isa 43:7).

This idea is reinforced in John 11, the story of Jesus' raising of Lazarus from the dead. Jesus is informed about the sickness of his friend, whom he loved (v3, 5-6). Though he could have gone and healed him, he did not. Jesus said, "This illness does not lead to death. It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it" (v4). He said the sickness "does not lead to death," and yet Lazarus did die. Was Jesus wrong? No, because he then went to Bethany and raised Lazarus to life! The end result was not death. And the purpose for this great suffering was the glory of God.

Yes, God is the Master of sickness, death, suffering and disabilites. There is a good and wise, if mysterious, purpose. And God will be glorified.
So how should we react to this difficult teaching? Our response to God’s sovereignty over disabilities, sickness and suffering can go in two ways:

1) The foolish response. The first option is to get mad at God for allowing it, and reject him. "God, if this is how you treat people, you can forget it." But this option leaves the person still suffering, with the addition of being cut off from the only One who can sustain them through it! And the final result is eternal suffering for sin and rejection of Christ.

2) The biblical and wise response. There is a better way. First, pray for healing! Jesus healed the man born blind in John 9. Perhaps the purpose of your suffering is to glorify God through healing.

But, if God chooses not to heal, then pray for grace to suffer well, that others may see God’s power in us as we suffer and continue to love God. God will be glorified, whether it is through healing or giving grace for endurance. When the world sees that our treasure is not health, but the glorious God, this is a powerful thing.

For those who are suffering with a disability or sickness or disease, and God has not chosen to heal you, look to the One who came and suffered for us at the cross. Jesus paid the price for our sins with his own blood and rose from the grave to save us. For those who repent of sin and believe on Christ, the Bible promises eternal life and everlasting joy in the presence of God! This includes physical healing (Matthew 8:17; Revelation 21:4)! As we look ahead to that Day, let's trust in God's goodness and wisdom - even when we can't understand completely the reason for our suffering.

Practice Delighting In ALL Of God's Attributes

Do you like God? Wait.. Seriously, stop and ponder that question.
Here's another: Do you like ALL of God?

God has revealed himself to us - what he wants us to know about himself - in the Bible. Scripture describes God's self-revelation and gives us many of God's attributes, or characteristics. As I have said in another recent post, many people choose one attribute, or a few attributes of God, that they like and build in their mind an idea of God that is limited to only those traits. They have then made another god who is much less than the true God of the Bible. All of must be careful that we are not doing this!

For example, we could envision a God who is powerful, but not very compassionate. Or a God who is sweet and tender, but cannot stop evil. Or a God who cannot see the future, but is good at quickly cleaning up our messes to make them work for the best. Or a God who is transcendent and omnipresent, but chooses to remain distant from our hearts. Etc, etc.

Maybe it's not all your fault. Perhaps your parents and your pastor failed to teach you about the doctrine of God -  what the Bible says God is like - completely and truthfully. Perhaps they chose to emphasize only a few attributes of God that clicked for them. And now you have an idea of God that is deficient. So when someone describes God with another of his attributes, even some that seem to us to contradict the ones we like, we declare that "MY God would never do that..." At the bottom of all of this is knowing the truth about God himself.

God is good. In all of his attributes, he is good. In the attributes that are difficult for us to wrap our brain around, he is still good! All of his attributes come together to make up his holiness, which R.C. Sproul refers to as 'transcendent purity' (transcendence meaning 'otherliness' and purity meaning no sin). The revealing of this holiness of God is his glory. So knowing God's attributes is seeing a glimpse of the glory of God!

God has commanded us to love him, to delight ourselves in the Lord (Deuteronomy 6:5, Psalm 37:4). We are to treasure and love and delight in God in all of his attributes! How are you doing with this? Do you like all of God? Are you delighting in all of his characteristics, revealed to us in his word?

Below is a test. I will list many of the attributes of God, one at a time, with Scripture references. Go through the list and see which attributes of God you are currently praising him for, and which attributes you are struggling with. Practice delighting in God in each of the attributes (look up the Scripture references if needed). Also, think about what false or dangerous teaching would result from twisting or neglecting each attribute.

If you are having trouble seeing the good in some of the attributes, confess this to God and ask for help. Tell him you want to know him in truth, as he has revealed himself in his word. Study that particular attribute in the Bible and note how the Bible responds to that trait (not how we sometimes respond). Ultimately, trust God and love him.

Feel free to leave a comment about which ones may be easy or difficult for you.

Here we go! May we know God more and love him more!

The Attributes of God
(note: many of these were taken from Wayne Grudem's Systematic Theology, and J.L.Dagg's Manual of Theology, both of which are very helpful).

1. Unity - There is One God, in three Persons. Deuteronomy 6:4; John 17:3; Matthew 28:19-20

2. Independence - God is self-existent. He does not need anything or anyone, but chooses to delight in his people.  Acts 17:24-25; Job 41:11; Psalm 50:10-12; Exodus 3:14; Isaiah 62:5b

3. Eternity - Time does not limit God (has no beginning or end). He doesn't need to look ahead into the future to learn; but he does act within time. (Galatians 4:4-5). Psalm 90:2, 4; Job 36:26; Revelation 1:8, 4:8; John 8:58; 2 Peter 3:8

4. Perfection - There’s nothing God lacks that would make Him better. You can’t improve God. Matthew 5:48; 18:30; Deuteronomy 32:4

5. Beauty - God is the sum of all desirable qualities. Psalm 27:4; 73:25

6. Freedom - God does whatever He pleases. He is completely free to act in whatever way He deems best, bound by nothing but His own character. Nothing in creation can hinder God from doing His will. No person or power can tell God what He should do. God is under no one’s authority, and never needs man's permission to do anything. Psalm 115:3; Proverbs 21:1; Daniel 4:35

7. Peace (Order) - God is not confused or at unrest. 1 Corinthians 14:33; Romans 15:33; Galatians 5:22; Isaiah 48:22, Romans 8:6, Psalm 121:4, John 5:17

8. Blessedness - He is the source of His own joy! God takes pleasure in the reflection of His excellence in creation. God is the source and root and cause of everything in the universe that is worthy of delighting in. 1 Timothy 6:15; 1:11; Genesis 1:31, James 1:17

9. Immutability - God is unchangeable. Psalm 102:25-27; Malachi 3:6; James 1:17b; Hebrews 13:8;
Psalm 33:11, Matthew 13:35, Revelation 13:8, Isaiah 46:9-11, Numbers 23:19

10. Spirituality - God is spirit. His being is not like anything else (therefore He commands us not to make an image of Him to for worship). John 4:24; (1 Corinthians 14:14, 1 Corinthians 6:17, Romans 8:16, Hebrews 12:23)

11. Invisibility - “God’s total essence, all of His spiritual being, will never be able to be seen by us, yet God still shows Himself to us through visible, created things. God took on various visible forms in the Old Testament to reveal Himself to people. In the New Testament we see Jesus Christ as the greatest visible manifestation of God" (Grudem). John 1:18; John 6:46; 1 Timothy 1:17; 6:16;
12. Glorious - God is infinitely deserving of all honor, praise, worship and fame. Psalm 24:10; 104:1-2; Luke 2:9; (Isaiah 43:7, Hebrews 1:3, Romans 3:23, John 17:5, Revelation 21:23, 2 Corinthians 3:18)

13. Omnipresence (Immensity) - All of Him is in all places at all times. Psalm 139:7-10; Deuteronomy 10:14, Jeremiah 23:23-24, Acts 17:28, 1 Kings 8:27, Isaiah 66:1-2, Acts 7:48, Amos 9:1-4, Colossians 1:17, Hebrews 1:3, 2 Corinthians 3:17

14. Omniscience (Knowledge) - God knows all things. Job 37:16; 1 John 3:20; 1 Corinthians 2:10-11; Hebrews 4:13, Isaiah 46:9-10, Matthew 6:8, Matthew 10:30, Psalm 139:1-2, 4, 6, 16; Isaiah 55:9, Psalm 90:4, 2 Peter 3:8

15. Omnipotence (Sovereignty) - God has all, unlimited power to do all He has willed to do, and uses this power always. Ephesians 3:20; Matthew 19:26; Psalm 24:8, Genesis 18:14, Jeremiah 32:17,27; Luke 1:37, Matthew 3:9, Psalm 115:3

16. Wisdom - This has to do, not so much with God’s knowledge of facts, but about the quality of His decisions. He always makes wise decisions. Romans 11:33; 16:27, Job 9:4, Job 12:13, Psalm 104:24, 1 Corinthians 1:21,27, 29; Ephesians 3:10, James 1:5, Psalm 111:10, Proverbs 9:10

17. Will - God decides what to do and what not to do. God’s secret will includes everything that happens. God’s revealed will includes what He has made known to us, or commanded us to do. Ephesians 1:11; Revelation 4:11, 1 Peter 3:17, James 4:13-15, Deuteronomy 29:29

18. Goodness - God is always good. He is the standard of what is good. Luke 18:19; Psalm 100:5; 106:1, Genesis 1:31, James 1:17, Romans 12:2, Acts 14:17, Romans 8:28

19. Love - God gives of Himself to bless others. He has a general love for all of His creation, in that He gives rain and food and other blessings to even His enemies. But God has a special love for His people. It is for His people that Jesus was given, and whose blood covers their sins. 1 John 4:8, 10-11; John 17:24, John 3:35, John 14:31, John 3:16, Romans 5:8, Galatians 2:20b, Matthew 22:37-38

20. Mercy, Grace, Patience - Manifestations of God’s goodness. Mercy is not giving us what we deserve, Grace is giving goodness when we only deserve punishment, and Patience is his withholding of punishment for sinners, giving time for repentance. Exodus 34:6; Psalm 103:8; 2 Samuel 24:14, Matthew 9:27, 2 Corinthians 1:3, Hebrews 4:16, James 5:11, Romans 9:15, 1 Corinthians 15:10, Romans 2:4

21. Truth, Faithfulness - God is the true God, he speaks the truth and cannot lie. He acts in faithfulness to what he has said. Jeremiah 10:10-11; John 17:17; John 17:3, 1 John 5:20, Deuteronomy 32:4, Numbers 23:19, Hebrews 6:18

22. Justice, Righteousness - God does what is right. God must punish sin and treat people as they deserve. (Since Christ received the punishment for all who will believe, God can be gracious to believers and still be just). Deuteronomy 32:4; Genesis 18:25b; Psalm 89:14; 19:8, Isaiah 45:19, Psalm 7:11-12

23. Jealousy - "deeply committed to seeking the honor and welfare of someone. God continually seeks to protect His own honor. He commands His people not to bow down to idols or serve them” (Grudem). Isaiah 48:9-11; Exodus 34:14, Deuteronomy 4:24; 5:9

24. Wrath - God hates sin. If he did not hate evil, he would be evil! John 3:36; Romans 1:18; Romans 2:4; Exodus 32:9-10, Deuteronomy 9:7-8, 2 Kings 22:13, 1 Thessalonians 1:10, 2:16, 5:9; Hebrews 3:11, Revelation 6:16-17, 19:15; Hebrews 1:9, Zechariah 8:17, Ephesians 2:3, Romans 3:25-26, 2 Peter 3:9-10

In The Bible God Is Praised For His Wrath

God has revealed himself to us in his word, the Bible. To know what God is like, we must read his word and believe it. We get into trouble when we rely on personal experience or our own ideas apart from Scripture. The deceitful heart of man (Jeremiah 17:9) will lead us to attempt to create a god in our own image - what WE think God should be like, rather than what God in his word has already told us he is like. Ever heard anyone say things like, "The God I worship would never (fill in the blank)"?

In the Bible God has revealed to us that he has many attributes, or characteristics. If we don't study God's attributes in the word, we will not know the true God. This will leave us prone to deception about the character of God. Many times people will choose one or two attributes (such as love or mercy)that they personally like or agree with, and construct their entire view of God around those attributes. Then, when someone else speaks of another biblical attribute of God, it doesn't fit their idea of God. This can cause someone to outright deny Scripture, because they cannot conceive of God being that way. In those cases, we have put ourselves above Scripture, and thus above God's own self-revelation. We have become idol makers and idol worshipers. How arrogant to think we, in our fallen state, know God better than God knows God!

God has shown us many attributes of his character in Scripture, and God desires and deserves glory in each of those attributes. For some of those traits we readily and more easily praise him. But some traits we find more difficult to praise. God's wrath is probably the most difficult for many people to give God praise and glory. But the wrath of God is clearly taught in Scripture, from cover to cover. It is not a childish, emotional outburst by a God with no self-control, but a conscious, deliberate and personal display of God's justice and holiness in reaction to sin.

In the Bible God is praised for his wrath. Shouldn't this teach us volumes? In our day God is put on trial during natural disasters and doctrinal discussions; as if God owes us an explanation! But the potter still reserves the right over the clay to do with it as he wills. It is not God who is on trial, but us. God is, and will be forever, praised - both for his amazing mercy, grace and love, and for his awesome holiness, justice and wrath. Heaven will forever exist as a monument to his indescribable love. Hell will forever exist as a solemn hymn to the one who is holy and will never tolerate sin.

This is a very difficult and mysterious thing. But it is clearly revealed in God's word. And as Paul said, "Who are you, O man, to answer back to God?" (Romans 9:20) Should not our attitude be the attitude of Scripture - humbling ourselves before a mighty and good God, who is above our understanding but has revealed himself to us for his glory and our good - instead of an attitude of rebellion, pride and arrogance, refusing to accept God's clear self-revelation?

In the Bible God is praised for his wrath. Rather than seeking for Scripture to change and bend itself in submission to our ideas and concept of God, let us repent and humbly line our view of God up with Scripture. Then, in faith, and with great humility and mystery, let us praise God for his wrath, and all his good attributes.

After this I heard what seemed to be the loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, crying out, “Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God, for his judgments are true and just; for he has judged the great prostitute who corrupted the earth with her immorality, and has avenged on her the blood of his servants.” Once more they cried out, “Hallelujah! The smoke from her goes up forever and ever.” And the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God who was seated on the throne, saying, “Amen. Hallelujah!” Revelation 19:1-4

Judgment and Joy; Wrath and Rescue

Is God full of wrath and hatred for sin, ready to pour out condemnation on sinners for eternity?  Or is he full of mercy and grace, eager to rescue sinners and amaze them with his love forever?

Biblically speaking, the answer is YES. 

Old Testament and New alike reveal God's attributes of both wrath and mercy.  Obviously we tend to elevate one attribute over the other, preferring his love to his judgment.  But the Bible is God's revelation of himself to us, and declares that in all of his attributes God is good and worthy of praise.  It is easy for us to see how he is praiseworthy in his mercy and grace, yet sometimes we struggle to glorify God for his just anger against sinners. 

However, justice is a good thing.  If God did not hate evil he would BE evil!  It is a glorious thing for God to right the wrongs and stretch out his sword in hot anger against evil.  He is praised in Scripture for his judgments:

And I heard the angel in charge of the waters say, “Just are you, O Holy One, who is and who was, for you brought these judgments.  For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and you have given them blood to drink.  It is what they deserve!”  And I heard the altar saying, “Yes, Lord God the Almighty, true and just are your judgments!”  Revelation 16:5-7, ESV

God is glorified when he gives sinners what they deserve.  It displays to the universe his own holiness and his passion to show off that holiness to all.  Those who observe are left standing in awe.  And how can we complain?  After all, he gave what was deserved.  He did the right thing.  Justice was served.  Glory to God.

Rather than refusing to glorify God for his justice or, worse - feeling or speaking ill of God for judging, we should let God's justice increase our gratefulness that he is also a God of mercy and grace! 

God is praised when he gives sinners what they deserve.  And we are sinners who deserve his furious wrath!  One sin against an eternally holy God is a sin deserving eternal condemnation.  And we sin every moment!  Even when we do the right thing - have we ever, even once, loved God with all our heart, soul and might (Deuteronomy 6:5)?  This is the greatest commandment!  And no one has ever kept it.  Not even once. 

We deserve God's wrath!  We deserve for the angels in heaven to sing praises to God for unleashing his glorious sin-hating wrath upon us forever.  But...  (praise God!) the message God has sent us to the ends of the earth to proclaim is that he has unleashed that fury on his sinless Son, Jesus Christ, in our place at the cross!!  Oh, Hallelujah!  He became sin for us (2 Cor 5:21); took the curse for us (Gal 3:13); bore our shame and guilt and sin and sinfulness on his own body at the cross, so that we could be forgiven and rescued and redeemed and declared right with God for the sake of Jesus.  What a gospel!  He took our punishment so that we could receive his righteousness.  He took all our sins and all the wrath they deserved.  And God has, on that basis, by faith, given us the righteousness of Christ. 

God will be praised in heaven forever and ever both for his wrath and his love.  But the good news is that we can flee from his wrath because of Christ Jesus and be embraced by his love forever. 

Judgment and Mercy.  Isaiah 34 declares God's coming judgment: "For the LORD is enraged against all the nations, and furious against all their host; he has devoted them to destruction, has given them over for slaughter" (v2).  But the next chapter details his mercy for his covenant people!  "And the ransomed of the LORD shall return and come to Zion with singing; everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain gladness and joy, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away" (v10). 

Praise the Lord in all his attributes!  Judgment and Joy, Wrath and Rescue.  He is forever to be praised.