Jehovah Will Sustain You

"Jehovah will sustain him on his sickbed." -PSALM 41:3.

HAVE you ever wondered:  'Will I recover from this sickness?' Or you may have wondered if a beloved family member or friend will recover from an illness. It is a normal concern when someone faces serious health problems.  Similar concern was expressed by two kings in the days of the prophet Elijah and Elisha.  King Ahaziah, son of Ahab and Jezebel, had a bad fall, so he asked:  'Will I recover from this injury?'  Later, King Benhadad of Syria was very ill, and he asked:  "Will I recover from this sickness? -2 Kings 11:2; 8:7, 8. 

We hope, of course, that there will be a good outcome for us and for those whom we care about. Still, many have wondered what God will do to help.  During the  lives of those kings, God occasionally performed miracles involving the life and health of humans. By means of his prophets, Jehovah even performed resurrections.  (1 Kings 17:17-24;  2 Kings 4:17-20, 32-35) Is there a  reason to expect that he might do something similar in our time? 

There is no doubt that God has the power to affect someone's health.  The Bible confirms that. At times, he punished individuals with sickness, such as the Pharaoh in Abraham's day and later Moses' sister Miriam.  (Genesis 12:17; Numbers 12:9,10; 2 Samuel 24:15)  God warned that if the Israelites proved unfaithful, he would afflict them with "every sickness or plague." (Deuteronomy 28:58-61) On the other hand, Jehovah could remove diseases or prevent sickness.   (Exodus 23:25; Deuteronomy 7:15) Also, he could heal people. After Job had been so sick that he longed to die, God healed him! -Job 2:7; 3:11-13; 42:10, 16. 

Yes, God definitely has the power to intervene and heal a sick person. It is similar with his Son.  We read that Jesus miraculously cured lepers, epileptics, and blind or paralyzed ones.  (Read Matthew 4:23, 24; John 9:1-17) How strengthening it is  to think that the healings Jesus performed are a foregleam of what he will do on a grand scale in the new world.  Then, no resident will say:  'I am sick. -Isaiah 32:34. 

But should we look to God or Jesus for a miraculous cure now?  How should we view grave illnesses or infirmities, and what shall we do about them?

Next time: Jehovah Will Sustain You/SUSTAINED ON A SICKBED

From The Watchtower magazine