As a family affected by disability, we have at times questioned how a loving God would allow us to suffer disability, health challenges, birth complications, and maternity trauma. In our darkest moments, we have questioned God's existence, His goodness, and His love for us. But in this questioning we have come to mature in our understanding and have learned that He has been with us every single step of the way. In hopes of encouraging you, we would like to share what the Bible has taught us about disability:

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God allows disability; it is not an occurrence that happens outside of His control. We may not understand why He would allow such situations. However, as Creator of all life it is within His authority to do so:

 

'The LORD said to him, “Who gave human beings their mouths? Who makes them deaf or mute? Who gives them sight or makes them blind? Is it not I, the LORD?'" Exodus 4:11

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If we learn to trust God, He will help us even when we do not understand:

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'Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.' Proverbs 3:5-6

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Disability may be but is not always a consequence of our or someone else's ungodly choices or behaviour. Sometimes, God allows disability in order to create a stage to show us the amazing things He can do amidst our challenges:

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'As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?" "Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him."' John 9:1-4

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A great example of this is Moses, a pivotal character in Jewish history, who God used to lead the children of Israel despite Moses's speech problems and subsequent lack of confidence:

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'Moses said to the LORD, “Pardon your servant, Lord. I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue.”' Exodus 4:10

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God can provide disabled people with the support they need. Carers are a significant part of this provision. Our role is to fulfil the precious, godly assignment of helping disabled people fulfil their purposes. It is a privilege to be entrusted by God to fill this role. And if we rely on God, He will give us the tools we need to do so:

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'"Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say.” But Moses said, “Pardon your servant, Lord. Please send someone else.” Then the LORD’s anger burned against Moses and he said, “What about your brother, Aaron the Levite? I know he can speak well. He is already on his way to meet you, and he will be glad to see you. You shall speak to him and put words in his mouth; I will help both of you speak and will teach you what to do. He will speak to the people for you, and it will be as if he were your mouth and as if you were God to him."' Exodus 4:12-16

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And Job again took up his discourse, and said... "I put on righteousness, and it clothed me; my justice was like a robe and a turban. I was eyes to the blind and feet to the lame."' Job 29:1, 14-15

 

'"Open your mouth for the mute, for the rights of all who are destitute. Open your mouth, judge righteously, defend the rights of the poor and needy.' Proverbs 31:8-9

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'For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.' Ephesians 2:10

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God has a heart of love, compassion and protection towards disabled people; He does not take the automatic position that their life is without value and/or that they should be terminated in utero. In fact, He even curses those who mistreat them:

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"Do not curse the deaf or put a stumbling block in front of the blind, but fear your God. I am the LORD."' Leviticus 19:14

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'"Cursed is anyone who leads the blind astray on the road.” Then all the people shall say, “Amen!”' Deuteronomy 27:18

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God has a heart of inclusion towards the disabled. And He rewards those who have the same heart:

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'"Then Jesus said to his host, “When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or sisters, your relatives, or your rich neighbours; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”' Luke 14:12-14

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God does not exclude disabled people from His blessings and compassion, as seen through King David in the Old Testament.

 

In II Samuel 9, we see King David wishing to bless the household of his close friend Jonathan, who by this time had been killed. His desire was to show kindness to whatever relatives remained in this lineage. Upon learning that Jonathan's son Mephibosheth was alive, King David was no less loving or welcoming upon learning that Mephibosheth had a disability in his feet. 

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Sometimes, depending on His purposes for that disabled person, God may choose to heal them:

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''Great crowds came to him, bringing the lame, the blind, the crippled, the mute and many others, and laid them at his feet; and he healed them. The people were amazed when they saw the mute speaking, the crippled made well, the lame walking and the blind seeing. And they praised the God of Israel.' Matthew 15:30-31

 

He took the blind man by the hand and led him outside the village. When he had spit on the man’s eyes and put his hands on him, Jesus asked, “Do you see anything?” He looked up and said, “I see people; they look like trees walking around.” Once more Jesus put his hands on the man’s eyes. Then his eyes were opened, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly.' Mark 8:23-25

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'Some time later, Jesus went up to Jerusalem for one of the Jewish festivals. Now there is in Jerusalem near the Sheep Gate a pool, which in Aramaic is called Bethesda and which is surrounded by five covered colonnades. Here a great number of disabled people used to lie—the blind, the lame, the paralyzed. One who was there had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, “Do you want to get well?” “Sir,” the invalid replied, “I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me.” Then Jesus said to him, “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.” At once the man was cured; he picked up his mat and walked.' John 5:1-8

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'One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time of prayer—at three in the afternoon.  a man who was lame from birth was being carried to the temple gate called Beautiful, where he was put every day to beg from those going into the temple courts. When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for money. Peter looked straight at him, as did John. Then Peter said, “Look at us!” So the man gave them his attention, expecting to get something from them. Then Peter said, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.” Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man’s feet and ankles became strong. He jumped to his feet and began to walk. Then he went with them into the temple courts, walking and jumping, and praising God. When all the people saw him walking and praising God, they recognized him as the same man who used to sit begging at the temple gate called Beautiful, and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.' Acts 3:1-10

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Other examples of Jesus healing the the sick/disabled are seen in Matthew 11:2-6, Matthew 20:28-34, Mark 3:1-5 and Mark 7:31-35.

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But there are some who God chooses not to heal like Paul the Apostle, a key figure in Christian history who had a chronic condition:

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'...I was given a thorn in my flesh... Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.' II Corinthians 12:7-9

 

For those who remain unhealed like Paul, we can think about disability within the context of hope we have in Jesus Christ. If we believe in Him, we know that our challenges on earth are merely temporary and there will be a time in eternity that we will all experience total wholeness and wellness:

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'I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God.' Romans 8:18-22

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Our temporary earthly challenges serve a spiritual purpose that we cannot see:

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'For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.' II Corinthians 4:17-18

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And we can even grow to embrace these challenges, because we can learn to appreciate their value:

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'Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.' Romans 5:3-5

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WHETHER IN RELATION TO DISABILITY OR NOT, THIS WORLD IS FULL OF SUFFERING AND HEARTBREAK. This is the very reason why God sent His Son Jesus Christ to die for us: '

 

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.' John 3:16 

 

We cannot say that God has abandoned us when He has given us Jesus, who is the perfect and total solution for life's problems. Through Christ, God has provided us with every solution we will ever need for any problem we will face. Jesus said, '...In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.' (John 16:33).

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If you have questions about Jesus Christ and would like to learn more, please get in touch by completing the form below.