Desperation (Part 3 of 4) Psalm 107:17–22
What do you do when seriously ill?
What would you do if you had not had a bite to eat for several months? All of your nourishment is through IVs. You desperately need surgery, but that is impossible until your condition improves. This is a very difficult situation in which to try to offer encouragement. You can trust in the Lord, but emotions may still be like a roller coaster—fluctuating between hope and desperation.
People often blame every sickness on sin in a person’s life. This is not always true. Jesus healed a blind man and when questioned about who had sinned, He said, “Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him” (John 9:3).
However, in this psalm, the sickness was because of sin. “Fools because of their transgression, and because of their iniquities, are afflicted. Their soul abhorreth all manner of meat; and they draw near unto the gates of death” (vv. 17, 18).
Regardless of the cause of the sickness, the wise thing to do is to turn to God and ask for help, either healing or the grace to endure it. “Then they cry unto the LORD in their trouble, and he saveth them out of their distresses” (v. 19).
The very next verse says, “He sent his word, and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions” (v. 20). If sin is the cause of the sickness, God’s Word will reveal this. Confess it to the Lord and receive forgiveness. If sin is not the cause, His Word still reveals the importance of recognizing Him and praising Him. No matter how bad the sickness may be, there is always a reason for praising Him.