One of the difficulties many Christian believers face is how to balance faith in God with some of the practical decisions and actions we have to take in life, especially when it comes to availing ourselves of medical help. In my pastoral ministry I had to grapple with these “issues of faith” both personally as well as in trying to give wise, Biblical counsel to my church members. They were also brought into more sharp focus by my personal battles with cancer. These “issues of faith” are often behind some of the difficult questions believers ask. I believe we need to answer these questions if we are to come up with a balanced battle plan.
The question I’d like to address today is…
If I trust in God for my health, why would I need medical insurance?
There are many wonderful promises of both provision and protection in the Word of God. I could quote hundreds, but I will limit myself to two short passages.
A promise of provision:
And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. (2 Corinthians 9:8) (Note the repetition of the words abound and all. I have memorised this Scripture and declare it over my life frequently).
A promise of protection:
When it comes to protection against danger and disease, perhaps some of the clearest promises are found in Psalm 91. Some even call it “the protection Psalm”. Here are the first few verses:
He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, "He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust." Surely he will save you from the fowler's snare and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday. A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you. —Psalm 91:1-7
This Psalm has been a wonderful source of reassurance to me and to many during the Covid-19 pandemic.
With the above in mind, many consider it to be an expression of a lack of trust and a waste of money if one takes out medical insurance. Shouldn’t we simply just trust God for our health and our protection? In attempting to answer this conundrum, I’d like to refer you to two interesting and somewhat conflicting instructions that Jesus gave his disciples as he commissioned them for action. The first instruction was given when Jesus commissioned 72 of his followers to go ahead of him into the towns and villages he was later to visit: Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves. Do not take a purse or bag or sandals; and do not greet anyone on the road… (Luke 10:3-4)
Sometime later, just before Jesus was about to die on the Cross, he first asked his disciples a question and then changed his instructions radically: Then Jesus asked them, "When I sent you without purse, bag or sandals, did you lack anything?" "Nothing," they answered. He said to them, "But now if you have a purse, take it, and also a bag; and if you don't have a sword, sell your cloak and buy one. It is written: 'And he was numbered with the transgressors'; and I tell you that this must be fulfilled in me. Yes, what is written about me is reaching its fulfilment." The disciples said, "See, Lord, here are two swords." "That is enough," he replied. (Luke 22:35-38)
The Purse and the Sword
To me the purse and the sword speak of provision and protection. The disciples had lacked neither as they had gone out on previous missions. Now, however, the times were changing and persecution and danger were to be expected, hence Jesus’ instruction to take both a purse and a sword or two along with them to ensure both provision and protection. I have gone through a similar experience in my own walk with the Lord…
As a young pastor working to grow and establish our church I had to “walk by faith” and trust God to provide for my family. We never lacked for anything, but at times things were tough and we had to work very carefully with our finances. The package which the church leadership offered me included medical insurance for me and my family. However, for a time during the building of the first phase of our church facilities, the church was somewhat cash-strapped. As I prayed about this I sensed the Holy Spirit leading me to forego the protection and provision that the medical aid portfolio offered and to trust God for the health of my family.
I discussed this with my church leadership group and although they were a bit reticent to do so, I asked them to cancel our medical insurance until further notice. This would free more funds to be used for our building project. Thankfully there were enough finances to complete the building project. In spite of the project’s completion, I continued for several years afterwards without the need for medical insurance by simply trusting in God for health and healing for my family. However, there came a time when I began to get an urgency in my spirit to re-instate a medical insurance policy which we then did. I am so grateful that I was obedient to the Holy Spirit’s promptings because the operations and treatments for my various cancer challenges would have ruined us financially had we not acquired medical insurance. I’m also quite sure we would have had to rule out some of the best treatment options because of financial constraints.
Cancer doesn’t just impact one individual, but can impact on the whole family. I know of some families that have faced financial ruin because one of them contracted cancer and they had no medical insurance. In their desperation to help their sick loved-one, they exhausted all their financial reserves.
We need to be wise stewards of the finances which the Lord entrusts into our hands and protect ourselves against the thief who comes to rob, kill and destroy. (See John 10:10). We need to do what is humanly possible to guard ourselves against life’s sometimes harsh eventualities whilst at the same time trusting in God for our provision and protection.
This is an excerpt from my book “Going Against Goliath” (How to fight cancer and win).
Available from Amazon as a Paperback, Kindle or Audiobook: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1637460317/
Hard copies also available on a killer special for delivery in South Africa. Please navigate further on this website for details. www.philiprobson.co.za
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