What is a positive way I can respond in times of sickness?

Psalm 103:2-3Let all that I am praise the Lord; may I never forget the good things he does for me. He forgives all my sins and heals all my diseases.

We should praise God for his ability to forgive our sins and heal our diseases—even if he chooses not to. We should praise God when he uses our sickness to move us closer to him and to others.

Mark 2:1-12When Jesus returned to Capernaum several days later, the news spread quickly that he was back home. Soon the house where he was staying was so packed with visitors that there was no more room, even outside the door. While he was preaching God’s word to them, four men arrived carrying a paralyzed man on a mat. They couldn’t bring him to Jesus because of the crowd, so they dug a hole through the roof above his head. Then they lowered the man on his mat, right down in front of Jesus. Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralyzed man, “My child, your sins are forgiven.” But some of the teachers of religious law who were sitting there thought to themselves, “What is he saying? This is blasphemy! Only God can forgive sins!” Jesus knew immediately what they were thinking, so he asked them, “Why do you question this in your hearts? Is it easier to say to the paralyzed man ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or ‘Stand up, pick up your mat, and walk’? So I will prove to you that the Son of Man has the authority on earth to forgive sins.” Then Jesus turned to the paralyzed man and said, “Stand up, pick up your mat, and go home!” And the man jumped up, grabbed his mat, and walked out through the stunned onlookers. They were all amazed and praised God, exclaiming, “We’ve never seen anything like this before!”

James 5:14-18Are any of you sick? You should call for the elders of the church to come and pray over you, anointing you with oil in the name of the Lord. Such a prayer offered in faith will heal the sick, and the Lord will make you well. And if you have committed any sins, you will be forgiven. Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results. Elijah was as human as we are, and yet when he prayed earnestly that no rain would fall, none fell for three and a half years! Then, when he prayed again, the sky sent down rain and the earth began to yield its crops.

We should enlist others, even the elders of our church, to pray for us. We should humbly consider if sin might be the cause of our illness and ask the Holy Spirit if there is something we need to confess as we seek healing. Remember, as Jesus demonstrated with the paralyzed man, our spiritual healing is of greater and more lasting importance than any physical restoration, which is always temporary.

Proverbs 17:22A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit saps a person’s strength.

2 Corinthians 12:8-10Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

We should pray for healing but be content with God’s decision. If he chooses not to heal us, then we should look for ways we can minister to others through our sickness. We might end up having a greater impact on others when sick than when healthy.

Psalm 73:26My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak, but God remains the strength of my heart; he is mine forever.

1 Corinthians 15:43Our bodies are buried in brokenness, but they will be raised in glory. They are buried in weakness, but they will be raised in strength.

Regardless of the condition of our health, whether we are well or sick, we can rejoice that God faithfully remains our strength. Our frail earthly bodies will one day be gloriously transformed for eternity.