I believe that when Paul wrote 2 Timothy, Timothy and Trophimus, as well as Paul himself, still had their illnesses. However, they acknowledged that their illnesses were there to help them in their work; they learned to look after themselves and to be restricted for the sake of God’s glory upon them. Paul advised Timothy to take a little wine and to take care of his eating. At the same time, both were serving the Lord. Of course, the Lord supplied them with enough grace to overcome their weaknesses. Although Paul was sick, he still worked. When we read Paul’s Epistles, we have to agree that the amount of his work equaled that of ten men. But God could use such a weak vessel. He was able to get more from him than He could get from ten strong men. Although his body was weak, God gave him the strength and the life to do what he should do.
In the Bible, there were not too many men like Paul, Timothy, and Trophimus who were continually sick. God only arranges such unusual circumstances for those whom He will use and perfect. As for the rest, especially the new believers, they should examine themselves and should ask whether they have sinned in any way when they become ill. When one confesses his sins and deals with them, it is easy for him to be healed.
Finally, I would like to point out that sickness can be the result of Satan’s sudden attacks, and sometimes it can be the result of offending the laws of nature. There may not be a spiritual cause for our sickness, but we can bring everything to the Lord. If it is an attack from the enemy, we can rebuke it in the name of the Lord, and it will leave. There was a sister who had a fever that would not go away. There was no special reason for her fever. Later she found out that it was Satan’s attack, and she rebuked it in the Lord’s name. The illness immediately went away.
Sometimes sickness can be the result of acting contrary to the laws of nature. If a person puts his finger in the fire, he will be burned. We should take good care of ourselves whenever possible. We should not wait until we are sick to confess our sins. Once we confess our sins, we will surely be forgiven. But we should not wait until we have sinned and something is wrong with our bodies before we look to God for healing. We should not neglect the ordinary duties and care.
What happens when a man prays for healing? We need to have a brief discussion about this.
There are three expressions in the New Testament, specifically in the Gospel of Mark, that I have spent much time studying and learning. These three expressions have been particularly helpful, at least to me. The first is a matter of the Lord’s power, the second is a matter of His will, and the third is a matter of His act.
Once I read the Gospel of Mark while I was sick and found a few words that were especially helpful to me. The first portion is in Mark 9:21-23: “And He questioned his father, How long has this been happening to him? And he said, From childhood. And it has often thrown him both into fire and into water to destroy him. But if You can do anything, have compassion on us and help us. And Jesus said to him, You say, If You can. All things are possible to him who believes.” Do you understand what this means? The father told the Lord Jesus, “If You can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.” The Lord Jesus replied, “If You can”! Why did He say, “If You can”? These three words of the Lord Jesus are a quotation of the father’s remark. The Lord Jesus repeated what the father had said. The father said, “If You can do anything ... help us.” The Lord Jesus exclaimed, “If You can. All things are possible to him who believes.” It is not a matter of whether the Lord can, but a matter of whether the father could believe. All things are possible to him who believes.
When a man is sick, he is often full of doubts. He cannot believe in the power of God. It seems to him that the power of germs is stronger than the power of God. In effect, he is saying that the power of a little bacteria which can be seen only under a microscope is stronger than the power of God. When a trial of sickness comes, one finds the threat of the germs magnified to a great degree. But the Lord rebukes those who doubt His power in the midst of their sickness. The Bible seldom records the Lord Jesus interrupting a man’s speaking. But here He said, “If You can”! It seems as if the Lord was angry, as if He had lost His temper! (The Lord forgives me for saying this.) When the father said, “If You can do anything, have compassion on us and help us,” it seemed as if the Lord Jesus was saying, “How can you say, ‘If You can’? What do you mean, ‘If You can’? All things are possible to him who believes! It is not a matter of if I can, but a matter of whether or not you believe. Why do you ask whether or not I can?” The first thing a child of God should learn when he is sick is to lift up his eyes and say, “Lord, You can!”
Recall the incident when the Lord healed the paralytic. (I like the Lord’s words very much because each time He speaks He chooses His words very carefully.) He told the Pharisees, “Which is easier: to say to the paralytic, Your sins are forgiven, or to say, Rise and take up your mat and walk?” (Mark 2:9). The Pharisees must have thought that it was easier to say, “Your sins are forgiven.” Saying such words is, of course, very easy, because they can be said, but no one will actually know whether the sins were forgiven. But it is not easy to say, “Rise up and walk.” The Lord’s word proves that He can forgive as well as heal. Look at the Lord Jesus’ question carefully. Consider whether this is better: “Which is harder: to say to the paralytic, Your sins are forgiven, or to say, Rise and take up your mat and walk?” However, the Lord did not say this. He used a different word. He said, “Which is easier: to say to the paralytic, Your sins are forgiven, or to say, Rise and take up your mat and walk?”
The Lord Jesus was asking which was easier because both are easy from His point of view. Forgiving sins is easy, and asking the paralytic to rise up and walk is easy as well. This is why He said, “Which is easier?” Actually, the Pharisees were asking which was harder. From their point of view, forgiving sins and asking a paralytic to pick up the mat and walk were both difficult. Both were difficult, and they were just trying to find out which one was more difficult. However, the Lord Jesus said, “Which is easier?”