Pain is common to all human beings. Some of us face pain every day. Some suffer from chronic illnesses or from physical challenges we’ve had since birth. All of us have bodies that will wear out. If we don’t die young, we will one day have an aged body that causes pain every day. Unless Christ returns first, all of us will die.
These are simply facts. Physical pain is universal.
The Lord urges us in 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 not to lose heart during these trials, because, though we may be “wasting away,” simultaneously, we’re inwardly “being renewed” as we learn to rely on Him. In fact, these “light and momentary troubles” are producing eternal benefits that far outweigh the suffering.
The remedy is to “fix our eyes” on the eternal, putting our hope in God.
The Word of God provides so much hope. The answers aren’t easy. They’re not a bandage to be applied. They require internal growth, but they bring great joy.
For the Christian, the end of life is not to be feared, and neither is pain. The ultimate release from suffering is not to be dreaded. It is the goal line toward which we push.
Paul, the apostle, suffered greatly during his ministry. He was pummeled with stones, beaten, imprisoned, shipwrecked, hungry, and naked. He fought wild beasts and was roughed up during riots. These maladies caused physical and emotional suffering for the rest of his life.
From this place of suffering, he wrote in 2 Corinthians 5:1-5:
“For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands,” v. 1.
- Compared to the “eternal house” of the body we will have in heaven, our current bodies are flimsy, able to blow away in the wind, “earthly tents.” They are breakable. But when our bodies are destroyed on this earth, we have new ones coming. While here, we’re “outwardly wasting away,” therefore, we should expect the suffering that is a natural part of “wasting away” (2 Corinthians 4:16).
“2 Meanwhile we groan, longing to be clothed instead with our heavenly dwelling, 3 because when we are clothed, we will not be found naked.”
- Compared to what is to come, at this point we’re essentially naked. We think our bodies are beautiful and amazing, and they are. But they’re nothing compared to our eternal bodies. We look forward to bodies that won’t break, get sick, or betray us.
“4 For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed instead with our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life.”
- Weary of the broken state of these bodies, we yearn for eternal life and heavenly wholeness, where pain and death exist no more. This is the natural result of the fall. The entire creation groans as it awaits Christ’s return and an end to all of this brokenness (Romans 8:18-24). Mortality will be swallowed up in life. We anticipate this with joy!
“5 Now the one who has fashioned us for this very purpose is God, who has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.”
- God created us for the purpose of dwelling with him forever and for the growth we experience in this dark place, because it brings us to know him. The Holy Spirit in us is a downpayment guaranteeing our future with God and a foretaste of much, much more to come.
“And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory” (Ephesians 1:13-14 NIV).
During suffering, Paul fixed his eyes on heaven. Sometimes during suffering that’s the only comfort. The pain will not last forever. Suffering will be replaced with great joy when we see God face to face.
Our earthly body is temporary, a dwelling for our immortal soul that we will one day escape. Our bodies will fall apart, and at death we will leave them. We will immediately then find our true home with God, an eternal home. Meanwhile, we groan.
This mindset of fixing our eyes on heaven may seem morbid to some, but our future home with God is the reality that captures our minds and carries us through. Jesus, for the joy set before him, endured the cross. His eyes weren’t on the pain, but on gaining us for eternity. This brief time on earth is merely the springboard into our coming state of eternal bliss with our Savior.
“Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed—in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality” (1 Corinthians 15:51–53).
When we see Jesus face to face, we will be clothed in immortality, our souls finally housed in a heavenly body that is its equal. We will no longer groan. We will rejoice with our King forever.
When times are hard and pain stalks your every moment, fix your eyes on Jesus and his promises. Comfort yourself with these truths.
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I’ve been thinking a lot about pain and my response to it. I don’t think I’m all that different than the average American. I tend to distract myself when I’m in emotional pain. I medicate when I’m in physical pain. I avoid when I’m in mental pain. They’re all ways of getting around the problem of pain. What I think I’m losing is the strength God would give me of I went through the pain rather than around it. He promises he’s with me through it. Why don’t I listen?
I think you have the right idea. Going through pain means I have to keep my eyes ahead of me. I can’t look down, and I can’t look back. The only hope is to look ahead and keep moving forward left foot right foot. Great thoughts!
The blessing of chronic pain and illness for me has been this exact reality – I can’t dodge the pain indefinitely. I try, using all the tactics you listed. But then I catch myself. My dodging “remedies” are actually my tell. Once I catch myself and realize that I’m self soothing or ignoring, then I can diagnose the problem. That’s how I discover what tactic I’ve been using to avoid God. Meeting God face to face is the remedy for our pain – all pain, physical, emotional, spiritual. American evangelical Christians tend not to have resources for dealing with pain and have little support. Catholic Christians are supported by a rich church tradition of and written material addressing pain. I think our “health and wealth” nonsense really hampers our understanding of the value of suffering and why God allows it. Christians with chronic pain regularly have to confront these fallacies. Thank you for the thoughtful comment, Chip.
Yes, Melinda! The health and wealth nonsense! I was so confused for so long! So chained to shame because I was in pain when the health and wealth nonsense told me I should be able to claim my way out of it. I absolutely love and appreciate your perspective. When you say “the blessing of chronic pain and illness” it is SO powerful. What a testimony.
God always does what’s best for us, not what’s easiest for us. There are reasons that are for our good whenever he chooses to heal us, just as when he chooses not to heal us. If being healed would cause us to rely on him, to grow in faith, to become more like Jesus, to learn compassion for others, and to become the people he always intended us to be, then he would heal us. And he often does. But we often grow the most through suffering.
Melinda, I find such comfort in your words. I need constant reminders of the truth that this world is not our home. These bodies are not all. This life is not all. This world is not all. The earth groans along with us. These are words of hope in the midst of pain and I need them. I have a dear friend from our volunteer work in Haiti and she helps keep me grounded in this. She often quotes scriptures to me of suffering and trials and says, “Why would you expect anything different? God told us it would be like this.” She and the others in Haiti who suffer deeply every day are not “naming and claiming” anything except the Lord God Almighty Himself, for that is all they have. But I know that is precious in His sight. May I find Him in my suffering for He is our true joy!
Thank you for commenting, Melissa. The “health and wealth” fallacy has caused so much suffering in the church. The sick are usually left to tend to themselves, because “if they only had enough faith,” they would have no pain or illness. They are guilted or shunned. These lies fly in the face of Jesus’ own words, “In this world, you will have tribulation, but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” Thank God that he filled the Scriptures full of suffering, so we can find our solace in accounts of, not only Job, a righteous man who suffered, but also, of sinful Israel, who also suffered, often by their own hand, and yet God remained faithful. The examples of those who fail and make terrible mistakes are so encouraging to me, because that’s basically all of us. And yet, the Lord gives us himself and his comfort, even using our suffering for our good to draw us closer to him.
Pain impacts so much of our lives and can cause us to react in ways that are not our norm. But, if we let it, pain can drive us back to God. Pain, heartache and loss can change us into something more useful for God’s purposes. And we are not promised a pain free life.
All very true, Yvonne. Pain is more the norm, I think, rather than comfort. Thank you for commenting.
Thank you, Melinda. Beautiful. Fixing my eyes on Jesus and heaven is not morbid to me at all. It says our spirit is longing for God’s future promises. Those promises that are yes and Amen. (2 Corinthians 1:20) It put suffering in perspective, only bearable through Jesus’ strength.
You are so right! Thank you for adding this to the discussion, Karen! This is where our eyes must needs be fixed, lest we rely on ourselves and make our own choices apart from the Saviors leading and guidance. We do this so easily. It’s our fallback setting. Training ourselves to keep our eyes on Jesus and to always walk in his ways seems to be a lifelong lesson. It is for me.
My heart has recently been meditating on pain and as C.S Lewis says “The Problem with Pain.” Our Western culture of youth, health, and wealth, has falsely characterized pain and sickness as wrong, bad, evil. This pervasive thought has even seeped into the Church. So many around us are deeply wounded by this attitude. The Lord has been calling me to join in with His heart in what I can only call ‘the forsaken prayer’: to weep with those that are weeping. Thank you for your insightful, grounded in the word, post on this topic.
You’re so right, Elaine! It’s very true. Being sick means we become invisible. Gradually invitations cease. Our places are filled, and only those few who intentionally practice what you just described continue to come along beside us. Here are two excellent sources with practical ideas, if your aim is to know how to move forward: •When There is No Miracle: Finding Hope in Pain and Suffering by Robert L Wise. And •When There Are No Easy Answers by John S Feinberg. Both are published by Kregel. I’ve written a review on each. These are excellent tools for anyone wanting to wade into the hidden and often forgotten world of those who suffer.
Melinda, your insightful and thoughtful post is a great reminder that we need to keep our eyes focused vertically and eternally rather than on the horizontal and temporal. Such a focus provides us hope and perspective especially during tough times and seasons and when we suffer. But I do believe it is also a focus we should try to adopt throughout our days. Holding to an eternal focus, as much as possible, contributes to changing our perspective about what is important, and to s being able to make wiser more discerning choices. It allows us to hold things of the earth more loosely. I am often puzzled about how Christians and even churches don’t want to talk about suffering or teach about it given that Christ himself suffered tremendously and Scripture repeatedly tells us that we will face trouble and suffering. Thanks for your post.
You are so right on every point! Thank you for adding this comment, Anne. Evangelical churches lag in our understanding of suffering. On the other hand, Catholic believers can reach for a wealth of content and encouragement regarding suffering. Theologians have studied this and have addressed it, but only few tackle the subject and its practical application in the church. Most of us need nuts-and-bolts instruction if we didn’t grow up in homes where we were taught and shown to help and to serve others. We also, like you said, think we can actually get through life without needing Jesus every day. That’s a lie. We need him every hour, in blessing and in sorrow. Our lifetime challenge is to learn this, I believe.
Hello Melinda – I’ve suffered only temporary pain, both physically and mentally. Probably the closest I have been to constant pain are times related to emotional stress, anxiety and depression.
In my career as a Nurse and as a career to members of my own family and my wider Church family I’ve witnessed others in constant physical pain.
I know God would not put anyone through something beyond them. I know what we experience humanly will be to our advantage spiritually and yet… I admire so so much those who have and are truly suffering. I don’t know how they keep their focus, their eyes, their heart on the Lord.
Such an amazing testimony to us all
How wonderful that you’re also able to serve people as a nurse, in addition to as a businessman! In that position, you’ve been able to help people through things they cannot get through on their own. God gives us what’s “beyond” us all the time. This is how he causes us to rely on him. “Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead”
(2 Corinthians 1:9). As we rely on God, which we only tend to do when we’re beyond the point of being able to rely upon ourselves and our own strength, we then demonstrate this reality about the Lord, “But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us”
(2 Corinthians 4:7). It’s him, not us who enables us to press on and even to rely on him. This is one of the greatest blessings of suffering. These are lessons we can learn in no other way. Thanks for adding to the discussion, Bob.
Such powerful reminders Melinda. It is so easy to be consumed in keeping everything young and in shape and unharmed, but God is not concerned with any of that. I have to be so careful not to lose focus on what’s important, and keep my eyes in the right place.
We all do, Brittany! It’s so easy for us to be consumed with the things that won’t last, the transient things that in the long run don’t bear eternal fruit. We all get so easily distracted. Thankfully, God refocuses again on the things that remain. He’s in charge of our growth, the sanctifying work of becoming more like Jesus. The Spirit intercedes for us, as does the Son. They shape us for eternity.
I said it in response to your comment on my blog and I’ll say it again, I love how you express these truths. I love how you write. This is so powerful and so full of God-sent wisdom. The kind of wisdom revealed from God himself through a life submitted to Him. I’m honored to read it and learn from it.
Wisdom and ability comes from God. We often must suffer to arrive at the place where we’re usable by God and are also yielded. Typically, that’s not a lot of fun. Spiritual growth for me requires many years of trial to finally be at a place where I can comprehend how little I have to do with any of this. He must increase, and I must decrease. Decreasing is usually painful and requires laying down so much of ourselves, but it’s the only way to grow for the prideful and self reliant. I’m glad for the kindness and mercy of God. He knows how to refine and when to ease off.
Just adding one more thought, I know for many believers it is pain and suffering that either makes or breaks their faith. We need to keep lifting up messages like this again and again. Thank you, Melinda, for encouraging those who are struggling with pain, which would be all of us.
It really is all of us. No one has a pain-free life. Jesus sees us, understands us, and meets us in our pain. Everyone needs to hear that Good News! Great discussion on this blogpost, Melissa!
I think more about eternity now than I did when I was younger. I also like the Catholic idea of offering up pain to God. That gives it a spiritual purpose–which everything in our lives has but we sometimes don’t realize.
It seems there’s far more Catholic literature and prayers pertaining to suffering than Protestant churches tend to offer, particularly evangelical churches, unless we go back to Puritan literature. The Puritans didn’t dodge pain. Offering pain up to God is definitely a biblical response. In effect, that’s what Jesus was doing at Gethsemane, and Paul definitely does as he’s setting up the example of Jesus’ suffering detailed in Philippians 2:5-11. Identifying with Christ in suffering is also extremely comforting when pain is severe. Thanks for adding that, Nancy.
Oh yea, this is the big question: why does God allow suffering? This is the biggest stumbling block that either prevents people from believing God is good, or that He even exists, or, like Melissa said in her comment, can break someone’s faith causing them to reject God or to become a Prodigal. I think we’d do a good thing by studying some of the literature involving a Biblical view of suffering. I mean, even if Jesus suffered, can we expect no less? This side of heaven, Jesus said we will have trouble. We need to prepare for it and anchor our faith in God’s goodness, knowing that the life to come is the one promised no more suffering. Thanks, Melinda, for writing on this subject. I know your own suffering is a daily thing and I pray God gives you the strength to endure. Bless you!
Through decades of suffering the Lord’s love and mercy continually turned me back toward him. He took me deeper. All the time my body was falling apart in one way after another, and then I got a chronic illness. Now, those are the moments when he touches me the deepest to draw me close, when I’m in the most pain. From those times comes my best creativity and writing. We all must die, so I believe this comes at some point for believers, where we must yield our health to the Lord, and if we do, it will be a beautiful place of fellowship and yielding.