Sickness

Q: Why isn't God more helpful to those ill, sick, and infirm through medical research, etc...?

I spoke a bit about how I feel that God continually guides researchers and medical professionals in search of treatments for the sick in this post HERE. I don't want to shortcut how I address this question because I've dealt with the topic before. I feel that God is present within these situations and gives us comfort through the process of sickness or illness. 

God always seems to bring wholeness and sanctification from our troubles and experiences when we look to God for truth and understanding. I am reminded of Dame Julian of Norwich who experienced visions of Jesus passion and death during her sickness. Her extreme focus during the illness that almost killed her was the love that God had for her and all of creation and the love she had for God beyond anything else. After reading her record in Revelations of Divine Love, I believe that God used her bad situation for a greater purpose. Not that God caused the sickness, but that he used it to bring strength and connection in relationship in her time of trouble. Julian is regarded today as one of the great Christian mystics and theologians of her time.

We can learn much about dealing with our struggles with sickness and illness through the lives of the faithful that have gone before us. Some folks refer to them as saints, because for us they were great witnesses to the faith.

Suffering from Disease & Cancer

Q: Why must some suffer through disease or cancer to humble us before God?

I don’t feel that God causes suffering, therefore I don’t believe that God inflicts us with diseases or cancer for the purpose of humbling us. I don't blame God for diseases. We should always remember that we are biological creatures.

We are animals that are part of God's creation; part of the eco-system. As part of that system, we are susceptible to contaminates and viruses and sickness. I feel that most of these come from human neglect of being good stewards of the creation. So, I feel that humans are the source of our own suffering. For generations and generations we continue to destroy and take for granted everything in creation that we have been given by God. Disease is a horrible consequence of being a biological creature surviving in an environment that we have polluted and destroyed over generations. It's not  the fault of the person that has the disease.

On a positive note, in the modern era, God has given us so much through the advancement of science about diseases that have been around for years. God loves us and continues to guide skilled medical professionals and healers that work hard to combat disease and cancer through treatments and cures.  We need to pray for and support the researchers and medical professionals. I pray daily for those who are on prayer list because of sickness. I feel that God hears our prayers, and answers us in ways that we don’t always understand. The ultimate cure for disease and human suffering is in the escaton, when the heavens and the earth will be fully restored to perfection in God’s Kingdom - when pain and suffering will be no more.

As far as the humbling part… this makes God sound like a bully. I’m not sure how anyone could think that God acts like this. In the description, I can picture a schoolyard bully twisting another kids arm behind their back to make them get on their knees. That’s not how it works. 

Disease and cancer might cause us to acknowledge, connect or reconnect with God, especially if we have been absent from the relationship for a while, but I don't feel it's the reason for the sickness.