Fields and Forests of Medicine

1 Peter 1:20-21
“Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you, Who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God.”

Blessings can become curses. For example, a painkiller may be used to cover up an injury that needs immediate treatment. Pain is unpleasant. However, when pain tells us to move our hand from the hot stovetop, it helps us prevent worse injury.

When God created the universe and placed humans on this Earth, there was no disease, no pain and no death. The Bible tells us that God also knew that our freedom to withdraw our love from Him would also result in the consequences of withdrawing that love – that is, disease, pain and death. In His wisdom, God filled the creation with chemical factories that could provide temporary help for pain and disease.

Foxglove, or digitalis, offers a treatment for heart failure. Quinine, from a South American tree, is used to treat malaria. Steroids come from a Mexican yam. A treatment for gout is made from the autumn crocus. A fungus that grows on the rye plant and caffeine from coffee beans are used to treat migraine headaches. White willow bark, which contains a form of aspirin, has been used for thousands of years as a natural treatment for pain and fever.

Pain, disease and death call our attention to our much more serious spiritual condition. If we did not have to face death in this life, we would be condemned to spend eternity in an imperfect world. We can thank God that He has provided the remedy for our sin in the forgiveness of sins through His Son, Jesus Christ. Is your trust for salvation in Jesus Christ and what He has done for you?

Prayer:
Dear heavenly Father, I thank You that You have provided us with relief from some of the earthly results of sin. Do not allow earthly remedies to hide my need for the only true remedy for sin, which is found in Jesus Christ, Your Son. Amen.

Notes:
“Many medicines have plants as their source.” Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Nov. 1, 1990. p. 11E.