In light of Friday’s tragedy, I was reminded of a message I first shared in 2006, not long after I began my battle with chronic pain. I had been hospitalized, through countless tests and procedures, and still, some days the pain was nearly unbearable. Here’s an excerpt from what I shared:
But I know now that in the midst of pain and loss and grief, that God loves us more than we can imagine.
I finally read the little hardcover book I was given while I lay in my hospital bed (Intimacy with the Almighty, by Charles Swindoll). In it I found these comforting words, “I’m finally learning that His sovereign plan is the best plan. That whatever I entrust to Him, He can take care of better than I. That nothing under His control can ever be out of control. That everything I need, He knows about in every detail. That He is able to supply, to guide, to start, to stop, to sustain, to change, and to correct in His time and for His purposes. When I keep my hands out of things, his will is accomplished, His Name is exalted, and His glory is magnified.”
So now, when the thought comes to my mind, “Why hasn’t God given me healing? Why hasn’t he taken away my pain?” I remember those words: that whatever I trust to Him, He can handle; that whatever I need, whatever I really need, He knows about it; He can supply; He can sustain; he can correct; in my life, His will will be accomplished; in my life, His name will be exalted; in my life, His glory will be magnified!
Some days I still think my greatest need is for physical healing. But it’s not. Why did God curse the ground? Why did God make childbirth so painful and difficult? He did it to draw us back to His grace.
Remember, pain is the symptom of sin.
One of my doctors wants to permanently disable the nerves between my gut and my brain. He said if we can sever the nerves, we can turn off the pain, and I’ll be alright. The thought scares me a little.
But that’s what our world has tried to do. We’ve tried to turn off the pain with alcohol. We’ve tried to numb the pain with sex. We’ve tried to disable the hurt with so much noise and distraction from TV and iPods. But the sin is still there.
You see, god knows my greatest need. It’s not physical healing. He knows I need to be reminded of His love and His grace. He knows that without a little bit of torture, I’d be self-reliant. He knows that type-A Eric, with everything under control, would be a godless Eric.
He knows my greatest need is not for pain relief, but for sin relief.
The cause of pain is spiritual. Our greatest need for healing is spiritual. That’s why God didn’t send His Son into the world as a physician. Sure, He healed the sick; sure, He raised the dead. But more than that, He paid the price for our sin.
We have been healed already. God’s great love for us caused Him to set us free, not from pain, but from sin. With all His power, God did not triumph over every disease or hurt in our world. He triumphed over death.
Now, I know that tonight, some of you are suffering greatly. Your pain is overwhelming, and you’re not sure how or when healing will come.
I want you to know, for those who are in Christ Jesus, pain is not permanent. Revelation 2:14 says, “God will wipe away every tear from your eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things will pass away.”
D. A. Carson wrote, “It is when we are crushed and devastated by pain that the cross of Christ speaks most powerfully to us. The wounds of Christ then become His credentials. The world mocks, but we are assured of God’s love by Christ’s wounds.”
God loves you and He wants to bring healing in your life, but more than that, He wants you to trust Him in the midst of your pain.
Tonight I want to pray for you. I want to pray for physical healing, emotional healing, but most importantly I want to pray that when it hurts, you will remember that God’s grace is sufficient for you, and His power is made perfect in your weakness.