Psalm 38:3 Because of your wrath there is no health in my body;
    there is no soundness in my bones because of my sin.

Thinking about this Psalm, two thoughts come to mind. The first is to wonder how often and with what diseases David was sick, since there are several Psalms that talk about this sort of thing. The second is to be impressed that someone in David’s position, as king, would be so open about his frailty, since this Psalm seems to have been used in public worship. Today we seldom think about diseases as having any relationship to our behavior before God, and I think that’s a real loss. For that matter, modern society likes to ignore the consequences of sin as much as possible, and is loath to connect “natural disasters” to sin at all. Making a 1 to 1 correlation is probably wrong, but saying there is no connection is denying the justice of God. In the recent hurricane in the US, Asheville, North Carolina was very hard hit. It came immediately to my mind that Asheville has been recorded recently as one of the most leftist cities in the state. Something like this could and should wake people up to practical realities, and leftist ideology certainly doesn’t strike me as practical. On the other side of that, this hurricane spawned tornados in Virginia, and a dear friend recorded one heading straight for her, then lifting off the ground and completely missing her house and livestock, before coming back down to work more destruction. Again, those that did suffer loss have been given the opportunity to consider what is really important, and what isn’t. With such a huge storm, the loss of life, though significant, seems remarkably low to me. We need to have the humility to ask God to show us what our actions have brought upon us, and not be so eager to transfer blame to anyone or anything else.

This is an awkward subject for me, because I am remarkably healthy for my age, but my wife, certainly no less holy than I am, has quite a list of physical issues. In her case, I come back to Paul’s experience of asking for healing three times, and then being told that God’s grace was all he needed. (2 Corinthians 12:7-10) Her strength in the middle of physical weakness is amazing to all who know her. I am not to go around accusing people, but I am to encourage them to consider whether their attitude toward God has invited whatever they are going through. Personally, I’m never to presume I’m right. That’s a hard one! I am also to receive correction with gratitude – which isn’t easy either. A non-Christian neighbor comments on my posture at times. I’m not to be defensive, but grateful. Poor posture leads to all sorts of problems! More than physical posture, however, I need to seek to be straight in God’s eyes, not bent by the world and my appetites. I am to remember and proclaim that God is gracious and loving, but that love includes discipline, and seek to recognize and learn the things God is teaching me.

Father thank You for this reminder. I do pray Your grace and mercy for those impacted by the hurricane, but people are caught up in storms of all sorts all the time. May I be an agent of Your grace and mercy to all, whatever the nature of their storm, so that the plans of the devil may be defeated and people brought to wholeness in You, for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!