In Bodily Illnesses

First, we must learn to exercise faith when we are sick. This does not mean that we are superstitious. When we are sick, we still have to see a doctor and take medicine. This is a two-sided matter. For example, every day God sustains us not by signs and wonders but through a normal diet. We should not think that since we trust in God, we can survive without eating, just like the Lord Jesus did when He was tempted by Satan for forty days. This is superstition. [422] On the other hand, we should not think that as long as we eat, we will be healthy and strong and will live long. In fact, even if we eat properly, we may still get sick, even with some fatal illness. Therefore, we must trust in God.

For this reason, even if we have only a cold, we still have to learn to trust in God’s healing. We should not seek miracles but should see a doctor and take medicine while also trusting in God. This is not an easy thing. With some, once they go to a doctor and take medicine, they give up their trust in God. With others, once they believe in God, they become superstitious and would never go to see a doctor. Both are too much.

When Brother Watchman Nee was young, Sister M. E. Barber was the person who gave him the most help. She never went to see a doctor or took medicine in her whole life, so she lived to only around sixty years of age. Even Paul told Timothy, “No longer drink water only, but use a little wine for the sake of your stomach and your frequent illnesses” (1 Tim. 5:23). We cannot say that Paul had little faith. I feel that M. E. Barber was a little bit too much. Otherwise, she could have lived longer and could have been more useful in the Lord’s hand. Therefore, for our benefit and the Lord’s, we must learn this matter of exercising faith.

In Material Supply

We must learn to exercise faith especially in the matter of material supply. It is true that the church and the saints will follow the Lord’s leading to supply us in love; nevertheless, we still have to learn to trust in God. Consider Paul’s case. On the one hand, he trusted in God, and God really supplied him. When he was in Thessalonica, the church in Philippi sent people “once and again” to supply his need (Phil. 4:16). When he was working in Corinth, the brothers who came from Macedonia filled up his lack (2 Cor. 11:9). Yet on the other hand, when he was in Corinth, he worked with his own hands as a tentmaker (Acts 18:3; 1 Cor. 4:12). Moreover, he told the elders in the church in Ephesus, “You yourselves know that these hands have ministered to my needs and to those who are with me” (Acts 20:34). Here we see a two-sided principle: on the one hand, Paul trusted in and received God’s supply; on the other hand, he worked with his own hands to meet the needs of himself and his companions. He did not refuse the supply from the saints even though he [423] made tents, nor did he give up his occupation even though he trusted in God completely. This is different from the way of Christianity. Therefore, whether we work by “making tents” to make money for our livelihood or we serve full time and receive the supply from the church and the saints, we have to learn to trust in God, believing that everything is planned by Him and trusting absolutely in His sovereign provision.

Second Corinthians 5:7 tells us that we walk not by appearance or sight but by faith. This is to say that everything is by faith. We should not complain, saying, “Since I have been serving full time, there has been very little supply.” We should not have such murmuring. Whether we receive much support or little support, we have to trust in God. This does not mean, however, that we simply trust in God and stop relying on the love and care of the church and the saints, even to the extent that when someone sends a monetary gift, we return the whole amount. If this is the case, God will not supply us any longer, and there will not be any more manna descending. The saints supply you because they love you, but if you think that they give because they look down on you and therefore you would rather starve than accept their offering, you are too proud. If you are this way, God will let you starve. Since you would not accept anything from others, God would not give you anything either. This is true. So we have to see this two-sided principle.

You should not murmur, saying that since your minimum living expenses require hundreds of dollars and you have received only a few dollars or even less for support (only enough to buy something to drink to quench your thirst), you might as well give that money to someone else. If you have such an attitude, God sees this clearly and may allow you to continue receiving an amount that is only enough to buy something to drink. Therefore, we should learn to have faith and not to murmur, trusting in the Lord’s sovereignty and believing that we are in His hands and are living for Him.

Stanza 1 of the Chinese version of Hymns, #473 says, “When one refuses all earthly bribe / And comes to live for God, / The boundless riches he receives / Are indescribable.” It is said that the writer of this hymn is Catherine Booth-Clibborn, the daughter of the founder of the Salvation Army. After singing this hymn, we should not say, “Where are the ‘boundless riches’? This hymn should say ‘limited riches.’ What good is it to have one dollar? This is not enough even [424] to pay for a bus ticket. A gift of a thousand dollars would be more acceptable.” I believe that the author of this hymn might have often received a supply of only several British pence, yet she still had such great faith. Therefore, we must learn to have faith. Do not be proud and say, “I will not rely on the church or on the saints; I will learn to depend on God.” To depend on God in the matter of material supply is very practical, because God is truly trustworthy. However, you should act properly and maintain a proper attitude. This requires much learning.

In the Environment

We should exercise faith not only in dealing with our bodily illnesses and for meeting our material needs but also for dealing with our environment in our service to the Lord. Our environment is changeable and complicated. Regardless of whether or not we are Christians, we cannot live alone, apart from human society. We have relatives, neighbors, and friends, who all are a part of our environment. Suppose that the Lord would exercise His sovereignty and allow our neighbors to be either crazy people or activists, the children in the neighborhood to always quarrel and be very noisy, and the couples to fight continuously. If this were the case, how could we have peace? If we were to move to another location, the environment might be even worse. Sometimes when we hire a nanny to take care of our children, she turns out to be a poor nanny. Then when we change to another one, the new one turns out to be even worse. There is a Chinese colloquial saying: “A soldier goes, and a sentry comes”; this means that when the military man leaves, he is replaced by a policeman. Regardless of how hard you try, you simply cannot find a good nanny. It seems that all you can find are strange or peculiar ones. This is very interesting.

Actually, in all these situations we have to see the Lord’s sovereign authority behind the scene. Instead of blaming the environment, we should believe in God and learn to trust in God’s arrangement. On the one hand, we need to believe in God, while on the other hand, we need to deal with the environment by faith. We should not argue or complain. For example, when you get on an airplane, do not fight for a good seat. You need to trust in God and learn to rely on Him in both great things and small things. This is the lesson that we must learn. [425]