“And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.” (Rev. 21:4)
I do not very often pray for the Lord to take the pain away, although of course there are times I do, sometimes He honors me by doing so, but not always. What I ask Him instead may seem odd to some, but nevertheless, what I ask of Him is to hold me together.
Those of you who have reached that age where some physical activities are now no more than a distant memory understand, as do those who by other reasons have lost certain abilities do. The pain is not just of the flesh for us, but of the mind. Compared to some I am extremely healthy, to others I would be falling apart, but we should not compare ourselves to others, for either animosity or pride will begin to grow within us.
“Therefore the children of Israel eat not of the sinew which shrank, which is upon the hollow of the thigh, unto this day: because he touched the hollow of Jacob’s thigh in the sinew that shrank.” (Gen. 32:32)
If you are following Christ for the glory of God, how you are and where you are is where He wants you to be, we should never question this truth. Paul was sent a pain in his side to keep pride from growing in him, that same pride got the better of Samson, Jacob used a staff to help him walk for the remainder of his life after his night of wrestling with the Lord. I have heard of very aged men participating in marathons, but never winning one.
Physical pain can lead to mental frustrations, if we decide to live in the past, if we do not see the hand of God in our lives. “And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” (2nd Cor. 12:9) Our strength must rest in Christ, He is the only hope that dust can have. He is the One holding us together.
My grandmother was a God-fearing woman who loved the Lord, but when my dad died at a very young age, she questioned the Almighty and His actions. She died after a long battle with Alzheimer’s. Was this a just punishment from the Lord? Would you question His authority in any matter in your life? Moses killed a man, yet the servant of the Living God was not allowed to enter into the promised land because he struck the rock.
I ask you again, would you question the Lord’s motives for anything that He brings or allows to come into your life?
Physical pain my friends can kill your trust in the Lord our God long before it kills your body, if you do not trust His Sovereign authority over you.
The man who was born blind and remained that way for thirty-eight years before the Lord healed him comes to mind here, were there nights many years later where he questioned that authority over his life, did he feel animosity towards the One who not only healed him, but took his sight for nearly four decades? “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28)
It is good for me to feel pain, it is good to feel frustrated at times, to suffer for His glory, to struggle with both the flesh and the mind at times, for I know that a day is approaching when there will be no more pain, no more tears.
Perhaps you tire of the following words in these poorly written letters, but if my grandmother would have said them life may have ended differently for her, I believe Moses did say them after he realized he would not be entering into the promised land.
“Thy will be done.”
