ICS Daily Devotions
Sickness, Illness and Pain

Matthew 8:16-17 (NKJV) “When evening had come, they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed. And He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying: ‘He Himself took our infirmities and bore our sicknesses.’”

The key to staying resilient when we go through sickness, illness and pain is knowing God and His character. God is never the source of these physical sufferings.

There was no sickness, illness, and pain at the time of creation. They only came about after the fall of mankind. Due to the fall and the sin of man, the earth is now very different, and man, who was supposed to live for eternity, started to experience physical death.

Besides the fall, there are many contributing factors to sickness, illness, and pain, such as sin (though not all sicknesses are due to sin), the food that we eat, the stress of life, our lifestyle, the work of the devil and the earth’s environment. Some factors have to do with the choices that people make in life. For example, certain diseases are proven to be linked to substance abuse, unnatural sex, and multiple sex partners. These are the consequences that mankind bear for their choices; we reap what we sow in life. Heaven is the only place where there are no more tears, suffering, sickness, illness, and pain.

Just as Isaiah prophesied that Jesus would bear all our sins, infirmities, and sicknesses on the cross, Jesus took upon Himself all the curse of the law when He was made a curse for all of us on the cross. He has redeemed us from sin and the wrath of God towards sin. He took the judgement of sin for us once and for all. His blood has cleansed and redeemed us from our sins.

Acts 10:38 (NKJV) “…how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.”

Jesus came to declare God to us, and He went about ministering to all who were sick. The triune God worked together during Jesus’ ministry on earth. God the Father anointed Jesus with the Holy Spirit and He, the Son of God, went about doing the work of the ministry—They are One! Therefore, sickness, illness and pain can’t be from God because of the work of redemption and the ministry of Jesus. In fact, Jesus has taken them away on the cross, so we are to receive in faith His healing for our bodies, whether through medical treatment or supernaturally. We are to look to the cross to be reminded of Jesus’ atonement and redemption, just as the Israelites were asked to look at the bronze serpent to be healed. Healing was part of Jesus’ ministry, and it is still part of God’s work today because Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever!

Sermon Series: Resilience