One of the most seeping and foundational texts on the sovereignty of God deals directly with disabilities. In Exodus 4:11 God answers Moses’s fear that his eloquence is insufficient for the task, “The Lord said to him, ‘Who has made man’s mouth? Who makes him mute, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? Is it not I, the Lord?” Disability of speech impediments, disability of deafness, disability of blindness – all of these are in God’s hands to give and to remove. To which we may respond by asking: “What about natural causes? What about Satan? What about the sins of others against us, or even our own sin?” And the answer is that these are real, but that none is finally decisive. If any of these play a role in our disability – and they do – they do so within God’s sovereign plan. For example, Romans 8:22-23 makes it clear that our physical groaning with disease and disability is owning to the fact that our bodies share in the fall of all nature into futility. “We know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.” So one cause of our physical and mental brokenness is that we share with the whole creation in its subjection to futility. But that creation is under the detailed governance of God. The Bible tells us that the roll of the dice, the fall of a bird, the crawl of a worm, the movement of stars, the fall of snow, the blowing of wind, the loss of sight, the suffering of saints, and the death of every person are included in the word of God: “I will accomplish all my purpose” (Isaiah 46:10). And in the word “He works all things according to the counsel of his will” (Ephesians 1:11). So yes, there are natural causes for our disabilities, but none of these natural causes is ultimate, none is finally decisive, God is. [DesiringGod.org]
Posted on: Thu, 07 Nov 2013 09:54:01 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015