Pascal said that it is the pathetic fate of God to be everlastingly misunderstood. There is no area where this is more apparent than disaster and disease. Oftentimes the most horrible disasters are called “acts of God” and the most dreaded diseases are referred to as “God’s will.” Such talk should be forever banished from our lips! Calamity is not his deliberate handiwork. Disease is not his making. God’s attitude about these things can best be seen in the actions of Jesus Christ. A great part of Christ’s time was spent in healing the sick and diseased. Never once did he turn people away saying, “I’m sorry, friend, but I cannot heal you because God wants you to suffer.”
He looked upon disease as an intruder and alien to God’s kingdom. He did not regard God as its author. In Luke 13:16 he referred to a lady who had been crippled for 18 years as one “whom Satan hath bound.”
This is not to say that all sickness comes because we have sinned. Quite often it’s just the opposite. Job is a case in point. His story in the Old Testament book that bears his name reveals that his suffering came from Satan. It was not because he’d cursed God, but it was Satan's scheme in order to get him to curse God. It came not because he’d been bad but because he’d been good.
So when sickness comes, instead of asking, “Why has God done this to me?” you might better ask, “Why has Satan done this to me?” And if you wonder, “What have I done to deserve this?” the answer might be “Nothing! Nothing at all.” It might well have come just because you are a part of the human race and live in a world where people are free to choose good and evil and where Satan is real and active.