Pain

Written by Nancie Carmichael

"To you who fear my name the Sun of Righteousness shall arise with healing in His wings.” Malachi 4:2

They say, “write what you know,” so I am writing about pain. Two weeks ago, I had a full knee replacement. If you’ve had a knee replacement, you’ll understand! I put it off for about five years—getting injections, icing, taking pain pills. But when the bone-on-bone pain stopped me from daily walks or going upstairs, my surgeon advised: “Time for a new knee.”

Pain gets our attention. Eventually. There are different kinds of pain throughout life: emotional, mental, spiritual, and physical. To be human is to have pain. And certainly, to be human is to have joy, too. But we are more vulnerable while we’re in pain. We want it to go away. Those around us try valiantly to “help” us, to dispense advice. And goodness, we need help, too. Phil Yancey wrote an excellent book some years ago on “Pain, the Gift Nobody Wants.” That is for sure!

Pain is a powerful messenger. There are times we must choose more pain to be rid of the pain (such as undergoing surgery, cancer treatment). If it’s an addiction, we can enter therapy to get help. Pain is telling us to change, to take action to help us live.

Sometimes pain or loss doesn’t always have a reason. We may never know why some things happen to us, or to those we love. Job had no idea why he was suffering. He was not in on the conversation between God and Satan. But his response was to worship. He recognized the sovereign hand of God—He gives; He takes away.

It is humbling to ask for prayer, to be in a place of need. Pain is an eloquent reminder of that we are human. “It’s me, it’s me O Lord; Standing in the need of prayer!” And He meets us there.

Paul the apostle had a thorn in his side that he prayed three times to have removed, but God didn’t see fit to remove it and Paul received something even better—a revelation of God’s grace and strength in his weakness. Without his “thorn in the flesh,” he’d never have known God’s strength as he did. When you think about it, that’s pretty redemptive.

One afternoon when the pain in my leg was unrelenting, I lay on the bed, wondering why I—and so many I love are in pain. I pulled up the old Spiritual on YouTube, “There is a Balm in Gilead” and let the music wash over me. Indeed, there is relief and healing for us. And the balm is the redemptive love of Jesus. He died for all. We can trust Him; praise Him where we are as we immerse ourselves in His love. And then offer His healing love to others.

“Bless the Lord O my soul and forget not all His benefits: Who forgives all your iniquities, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from destruction, who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies.” Psalm 103-2-4