Have you ever been in a lot of pain?
Pain comes in many forms. Can you recall a time when you suffered physical pain that was almost unbearable? Few times in my life have I ever felt that kind of intense pain. Perhaps the closest I can get is when, as a kid, I was hit in the eye by a ground ball hit hard down to third base. It shattered my glasses leaving shards of glass in my eyeball, and requiring stitches above and below my eye. Even that doesn’t touch the pain some have suffered.
(Bryan Reagan has a funny routine about having to check himself into the ER-see link at the bottom of this article)
Who do you know who has suffered much physical pain? I know a man who, as a child, had one of his eyes killed when an arrow hit it. The arrow was shot from a homemade bow, and I’m sure was meant to surprise him, not to hurt him. I can’t imagine the pain of that accident. The problem with pain is that it can hurt you in more ways than one.
The child, who is now an adult, has had emotional pain via the limitations of having only one healthy eye. Some things he could not do, as he was limited by his injury. This gentleman had emotional pain as well as physical.
We all know people who’ve endured emotional or relationship pain. Being in a failing marriage, having a prodigal child, suffering divorce or the death of a loved one can bring your heart to the point of brokenness. Doesn’t it seem that most people carry some kind of emotional baggage or pain?
Then there is another type of pain we sometimes have to endure, and that is spiritual pain. One form of spiritual pain occurs when we are running from God trying to do life on our own and finally hit the wall spiritually. The trauma that comes from trying to be our own god or put someone else in the place of God can be exhausting, leaving a person hopeless. There is but one God and He is the father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
I have good news for us! Our emotional pain can be mitigated and even healed, at least to a level of being able to move on with hope. The physical pain may or may not be fixed, but in many cases it can be. The spiritual pain in which we find ourselves at times has a miraculous cure. Truth is, all healing is miraculous. The God Who loves you and me doesn’t want us to live in spiritual pain or suffer continuous spiritual trauma. He wants our loneliness, our guilt, our doubts, and our confusion to be settled, removed, and replaced with life-giving healing.
He can and will settle our spiritual pain with the new life that comes by giving Jesus rightful place of Lord and Savior of our life. He will forgive our sin. He will give us real hope and His Holy Spirit to never leave or forsake us! He will grant us the capacity to get to know Him better and better, learn to rely on His precious promises, and assure us of a home in heaven. Jesus gives you and me the capacity and power to live a life that overflows with love and hope even in the midst of our pain.
I know that suffering in this life is almost inevitable, but the outcome of our trials and troubles can actually work for our good as we learn where the real source of help is. In fact, our troubles sometimes wake us up to our real need for God. We need Him all the time in every dimension of life.
Let’s get better and better at taking our pain (from any source) to the Father for His healing. He may send us to the doctor for help with our physical pain, to a friend or counselor with Bible truths for our emotional trauma, or maybe to a pastor or Christian friend for guidance with our spiritual pain.
2 Corinthians 1:3-4 makes it clear where comfort originates, and it isn’t in some sin habit where we get temporary relief. God can heal us directly or He can work through others. He truly loves you and does not want you to continue to suffer unnecessarily!