Pain with Love

Pain

We've all experienced it.  We all know it's agony, yet everyone's is unique.  Each person's story different.  The depth, type, range and subjective experience different.

We often think that no one can relate- we place blame--- claim "you just don't understand what I'm going through" or "you have NO idea how it feels to be me."  We often dwell in our pain, wallowing in self-pity and resentment.  Why?  We often think: "I don't deserve this" we ask God, "WHY?"... good things don't happen to good people right? Many of us have a "just-world view."  Especially many Christians-- Christians don't suffer-- they don't experience hardship or pain, depression, sickness.. etc, right?

WRONG!!!! wrong, wrong, wrong! Both the New and Old Testament is filled with countless examples of pain and suffering of Christ followers-- godly people-- suffering and  pain is inevitable within this world due to the Fall-- due to the presence of sin.  And although God many not cause or bring the events into our lives-- He does in fact allow them. (i.e.: Job & Paul in 2 Corinthians 12:7-8 " 7 So fto keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations,1 ga thorn was given me in the flesh, ha messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. 8 iThree times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me.")  Paul pleaded with the Lord to deliver Him from the "thorn" that Satan pained him with. (I will address this again later)

David, the Psalmist wrote many Psalms about depression, agony, pain and hardship. 

Psalm 38
" 4 For my riniquities have gone over my head;

like a heavy burden, they are too heavy for me.

5 My wounds stink and fester

because of my foolishness,

6 I am sutterly bowed down and tprostrate;

all the day I ugo about mourning.

7 For my sides are filled with burning,

and there is pno soundness in my flesh.

8 I am feeble and crushed;

I vgroan because of the tumult of my heart"

 David sounds like he is severely suffering.

If you know the story of Job, the book begins with God allowing Satan to send affliction upon Job "an upright man," but only to the extent that the Lord allows.   In the course of one day, Job receives four messages, each bearing separate news that his livestock, servants, and ten children have all died due to marauding invaders or natural catastrophes. Job tears his clothes and shaves his head in mourning, but he still blesses God in his prayers. Satan appears in heaven again, and God grants him another chance to test Job. This time, Job is afflicted with horrible skin sores. Job falls into deep anguish and depression. (Job 3)  11 “Why mdid I not die at birth..?" 

His friends offer no comfort and question his righteousness.  Still Job praises God (Job 11 & 12)

 

Do you not think that Christ knows your pain?  Do you not think that your Father feels your sorrow?  I often do and I need to be reminded that He is "Ancient of Days."  God has been around for-- well forever-- He has seen all pain, and knows ALL pain.  Humble yourself and reconsider the immense amount of pain that has occurred on this planet since Day 1.  Does yours surpass?  I am not trying to belittle our pain-- just trying to put it into perspective.  And with that-- even if our pain may be small or moderate compared to that of ancient days, God still cares severely  about your pain.  He WANTS to bring healing to you.  He WANTS to restore you.  He LOVES you and was sent to save you from sin and pain (John 3:16).  According to Moore in Breaking Free,

the word "sent" in John 3:16 translates to the Hebrew word "shalack" which literally means to "shoot forth." -- like an arrow.  Christ is the remedy for pain and sin.  God sent Him like a flaming arrow into this world to be the antidote for pain.  WOW. When I think of Christ as an arrow, a needle-- a shock or cure for the cancer of pain and suffering, I feel a sense of serenity-- a flowing peace like a river.  Christ can heal us if we allow Him to. 

Isaiah 61:1 states, "he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted"-- "Bind-up" here literally means to envelope and enclose" to seal. Christ stops our hearts from profuse bleeding.  But according to Moore, Christs healing and "sealing" is unlike that of the world.  Often when we look to heal ourselves we put up walls-- isolate ourselves-- prevent the flow of love to go in and out, while Christ increases the flow of love and peace into our hearts and out of them when He "binds" us.  Cool image huh?

So God gets our pain, but why does He allow it?  Well God only knows, but I have a few ideas why (from Scripture).  

1. To draw us to Him.  So we will go to Him.  so we will need Him.
2. To bring Him glory by delivering and healing us.
3. To keep us humble (in the case of Paul) .2 Corinthians 12 " 9 But he said to me, j“My grace is sufficient for you, for kmy power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that lthe power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 mFor the sake of Christ, then, nI am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For owhen I am weak, then I am strong"
4.  So we learn compassion.
5. So we can experience the greatness of His love and peace!!!

The Lord always brings healing to Hid people whom seek it.  Job was restored at the end and blessed far more than he was before. (Job 40)

"10 And the Lord rrestored the fortunes of Job, when he had prayed for his friends. And the Lord gave Job stwice as much as he had before. 11 Then came to him all his tbrothers and sisters and all who had tknown him before, and ate bread with him in his house. And they ushowed him sympathy and comforted him for all the evil2 that the Lord had brought upon him. And each of them gave him va piece of money3 and wa ring of gold.

12 And the Lord blessed xthe latter days of Job more than his beginning. And he had y14,000 sheep, 6,000 camels, 1,000 yoke of oxen, and 1,000 female donkeys. 13 He had also zseven sons and three daughters. 14 And he called the name of the first daughter Jemimah, and the name of the second Keziah, and the name of the third Keren-happuch. 15 And in all the land there were no women so beautiful as Job’s daughters. And their father gave them an inheritance aamong their brothers. 16 And after this Job lived 140 years, and bsaw his sons, and his sons’ sons, four generations. 17 And Job died, an old man, and cfull of days."

 David the Psalmist also wrote of his amazing Restoration from the Lord.  

My Help and My Deliverer

40 To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.

1 I uwaited patiently for the Lord;

he inclined to me and vheard my cry.

2 He drew me up from wthe pit of destruction,

out of xthe miry bog,

and yset my feet upon a rock,

zmaking my steps secure.

3 He put aa new song in my mouth,

a song of praise to our God.

Many will bsee and fear,

and put their trust in the Lord.

I don't know what pain is eating at your heart to day, nor do I know how you feel or what you have been through, but the Lord knows and He sent His only Son to heal and redeem you.  Please let Him.  As I confessed in previous blogs, I was diagnosed with depression this past year; I was miserable.  I pleaded with the Lord to deliver me-- He didn't right away.  Now I see why.  I have learned more about the Lord and experienced His love and unfailing mercy now more than ever.  It wasn't until I completely surrendered it all to Him that He brought healing-- and how amazing it has been.  The truth is I would not trade one second of my depression-- the Lord has taught me so much from it & I know His love much more than I could ever have imaged.  I have been humbled & changed.  Forever thankful for His redemption.  I pray that you will surrender the pain that is breaking you today.

"Our pain can either draw us closer to God where we can rest in His peace or push us further away-- causing us to resent Him."

Which will it be for you?