Psalms 119:50 My Comfort In My Suffering Is This: Your Promise Preserves My Life.

Pain degrades. Pain degrades the heart, mind, soul, and body. Pain causes depression and heartbreak. Medication for the pain has side effects. Pain can make you think you cannot go on, so can the meds. What do you do then? What you must not do is just sit there. You must at least keep your mind moving. Pain will freeze you. So you keep from being frozen, you have to at least keep your mind moving. You can build up your storehouse of knowledge at any age. Free resources are always available to you. At the very least, you can pray for others and engage in intense meditation each day. As difficult as it may seem, you can also live in a spirit of thanksgiving, even when you are in pain.

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Acts 17:27 God Did This So That Men Would Seek Him And Perhaps Reach Out For Him And Find Him, Though He Is Not Far From Each One Of Us.

God is not far from us because God is within us. He is always living within us. We have contact with God because He is within us. We may not understand how God can be within us and we not know Him. We may have pain, trouble, and trials to such an extent God seems not to exist. However, if we just sit down and think for awhile, we will come to realize we are not truly alone in the world, even when no other person is around us. As hard as we try to run away from God, God is always with us, caring for us, loving us, and reaching out to us to keep us from going astray.

Psalms 27:5 For In The Day Of Trouble He Will Keep Me Safe In His Dwelling; He Will Hide Me In The Shelter Of His Tabernacle And Set Me High Upon A Rock.

Daily pain makes each of us feel we face a day of trouble. In our day of trouble, whether we face pain or some other kind of trial, the Lord will keep us and watch over us. Although we may not see Him or experience His presence, He is still with us. In our darkest hour, He still pours His healing love and presence over us. God Himself lives within us. We do not always understand the mysteries of God. In pain we want Him to be real. Our pain makes us think He is not real when He is indeed real. Every day of our life, even in our pain, we must resolve to keep the thought of God's reality with us in spite of our pain trying to make us think God is dead. God in Christ is alive for Christ is alive. On our day of trouble no matter how many days we have, we need Him and we know we can trust Him. We know He will never, ever fail us.

Job 11:16 You Will Surely Forget Your Trouble, Recalling It Only As Waters Gone By.

Why would God permit a circumstance where we have pain put upon us? Notice how the question is worded. The question does not ask, "Why would God permit a circumstance where we have pain put upon us," as opposed to "Why does God put pain upon us." God does not put pain upon us. Satan puts pain upon us to destroy us. God wants us to use our pain to glorify Him. In glorifying God with our pain, we rise above what Satan wants to do to us. In glorifying God with our pain, we begin to counter-punch Satan's power set out to destroy us.

Job 5:19 From Six Calamities He Will Rescue You; In Seven No Harm Will Befall You.

Why do we have pain? In most every case, we do not have pain or afflictions because we want them. We have pain because pain is put upon us by Satan. We have no choice about whether Satan afflicts us with pain. We do have a choice about how we respond to the pain. In responding to the pain, we can spend years searching for a higher meaning of the pain or we can start using the pain to glorify God. Many people find the pain so disabling, which the pain can be, searching for a higher meaning can lead to a form of power over the pain. To try to use an affliction can be the most difficult of tasks. The short answer to the question "Why do we have pain?" is…to glorify God.

Ephesians 3:8 Although I Am Less Than The Least Of All God's People, This Grace Was Given Me: To Preach To The Gentiles The Unsearchable Riches Of Christ…

We do not readily know how to abandon our earthly and sinful grip on life. We do not really know how to trust God fully and completely. We do not know how to abandon our pain. In trying to abandon your pain, keep in mind God pulls upward upon your life while Satan pulls downward. Remember nothing is bigger in your life than the love of God. Nothing in your reality is bigger than the love of God. When you admit God is bigger than your pain you begin to realize there is no pain larger than the love of God. Every pain is smaller than God. Every pain can be pushed over into God's arms. If giving your pain to God does not give you comfort and peace, your view of God needs to expand. Giving your pain to God may not end your pain. However, giving your pain to God results in your being placed in the palm of His mighty hand. Giving your pain to God results in your feeling His comforting love.

Titus 3:3 At One Time We Too Were Foolish, Disobedient, Deceived And Enslaved By All Kinds Of Passions And Pleasures. We Lived In Malice And Envy, Being Hated And Hating One Another. 4 But When The Kindness And Love Of God Our Savior Appeared, 5 He Saved Us, Not Because Of Righteous Things We Had Done, But Because Of His Mercy.

In pain, we can feel like we have lost a big part of our life. Pain robs us of our capacity to experience meaning and purpose because pain dominates our capacity to think and feel. Pain brings with it a form of living death. Our inner life seems to die when we are under painful attack. We not only seem to lose our inner life, we can lose meaningful contact with others and with God. Pain takes away our abilities relating to our job, career, family, and even taking away our ability to speak to and hear God. Pain brings on depression. The depression can make us feel there is no life within us. In those times when life within us seems not to exist, God DOES exist. When we feel dead inside, we must remember the kingdom of God is within us. We must remember the kingdom of God within us does not just blank out or disappear when we feel pain. The kingdom of God and God Himself is always, always, always living and alive within us. In life's darkest moments of our pain, we can stop the deadness within us by remembering God is love. In His love, there is a light of love within us every minute. The pain of the present moment can be lessened if we take our burdens to Christ who also lives within us.

John 10:4 When He Has Brought Out All His Own, He Goes On Ahead Of Them, And His Sheep Follow Him Because They Know His Voice. 5 But They Will Never Follow A Stranger; In Fact, They Will Run Away From Him Because They Do Not Recognize A Stranger's Voice."

In trials and pain, we need a voice of comfort, kindness, understanding and compassion. We need to hear the Lord speaking to us. The Lord speaks to us every moment. If we try, we can not only hear God's voice, we can also experience Him within our heart. In our pain-filled days, Christ will guide us and lead us. He will give us His blessed assurance. Even in our pain, we can experience the reality of God's presence. Although we might think God is not a being of love because we hurt, we must not be deceived. Satan is the author of pain. God is the author of peace and comfort. Satan wants to cast all of us into a pit of eternal pain and torment. God wants us to spend eternity with Him in peace, love, and joy unending. When we are tired and irritable, when we are angry, when we are full of pain, when we have been pushed to the limits of our ability to cope, there is for us a wave of kindness floating down from Heaven.

John 10:2. The Man Who Enters By The Gate Is The Shepherd Of His Sheep. 3 The Watchman Opens The Gate For Him, And The Sheep Listen To His Voice. He Calls His Own Sheep By Name And Leads Them Out.

God hears us. He knows our pain. God speaks to us in a language of love we do not know much about because we do not hear the Lord's special language of love very often. God's voice is full of tender mercies. He continually calls us to be His child, even when we are in the utmost rebellion. We can hear God speaking to us when we empty out all the garbage in our life. Our pain makes us accumulate garbage in our heart, mind, and soul. When we are willing to open our heart to the fullest possible extent to Christ, He tells us how much He loves us. When we open our heart to Christ, He inevitably leads us to His cross so divine. At the cross we are immersed in God's love…His love reaching us at the very point of our pain. When we hold our pain out to Christ for His healing touch He does not disappoint us. In His special language of love, our pain, our hurt, our troubles, our loneliness, and our problems are all soothed by His tender voice telling us He loves us.

Mark 9:42 "And If Anyone Causes One Of These Little Ones Who Believe In Me To Sin, It Would Be Better For Him To Be Thrown Into The Sea With A Large Millstone Tied Around His Neck.

Pain pushes against us. Sometimes pain pushes us to do what we do not want to do. To compound our sin problem, satanic evil in the form of sin also pushes against us to tempt us to do what God does not want us to do. When you confront the truth about what pain and sin do to you then you have an opportunity to push back rather than becoming a helpless victim. Both pain and sin are trying to push use away from God. Pain and sin both have the same source…Satan. What are we to do? We push back against pain and sin by faithfully praying. When we pray, we may be in agony from the attacks seeking to destroy us. However, when we pray, God hears us and He responds. We are also to use experts like doctors, counselors, and advisors to help us push back. We are not to give up or give in when we pray. We must resolve to never give up our faith in God.

1 Samuel 16:7 But The LORD Said To Samuel, "Do Not Consider His Appearance Or His Height, For I Have Rejected Him. The LORD Does Not Look At The Things Man Looks At. Man Looks At The Outward Appearance, But The LORD Looks At The Heart."

God sees all of you. He sees you every moment. He sees you when you are up or when you are down. God sees you when you are in pain or not in pain. We might want God to do more than just see us. We might want God to fix us when we reach certain points in our battle with pain. When God looks at you, He sees all your pain, your hurt, your disappointment, and the yearnings of your heart. When God sees you, whether you are in pain or not in pain, He looks upon you with kindness, tenderness, and love in His eyes. We keep no secrets from God. We may live in denial about whom and what we are, but we keep no secrets from God. To God, you are His child…His child sometimes doing wayward things because of your pain or sometimes doing His will. God does not just stand back and look at you. God lives within you. God works within you to give you His peace, His love, and His strength without limits.

John 20:21 Again Jesus Said, "Peace Be With You! As The Father Has Sent Me, I Am Sending You."

Christ suffered for us. He was sent by His Father in heaven to be the Lord's suffering servant for all people on earth. We too are called by God to suffer if necessary to do the Lord's work on earth. In our heart, we know we may be called to suffer when we do His work. Our pain and suffering come from Satan, not from God. When we stand firm against the satanic evil of pain and suffering, we glorify God. Of all the purposes we might believe we are called to fulfill on earth, our highest purpose is glorifying God. When we glorify God even when we are in pain, the Lord will pour out His mighty blessings on us now and in the infinite days to come. When we lose sight of Christ's suffering upon the cross, we will become selfish and our own suffering will become important. When we see Christ suffering upon the cross then our own suffering becomes totally unimportant.

Acts 20:35 In Everything I Did, I Showed You That By This Kind Of Hard Work We Must Help The Weak, Remembering The Words The Lord Jesus Himself Said: `It Is More Blessed To Give Than To Receive.'"

Human beings are selfish beings. Pain makes us often think more of ourselves instead of thinking of others. When times of pain come into our life we are even more selfish. When we reflect, we can see how being selfish is not in God's will for us. Being like Christ means you are to give to others in love. When you give to others in love you do the opposite of what the pain wants you to do. Putting others first, even before the pain, expresses the love of God to others. By putting others before yourself and your pain, you become a blessing to God and His power on the earth. You may not be able to make your pain go away. However, you can be an instrument for God's peace and love in the world this very hour. Pushing aside our own wants and needs in favor of helping others with their wants and needs gives others meaning and purpose because we were humble. The healing power of our humility adds to our storehouse in heaven where Christ stores up our most heavenly things.

Proverbs 4:25 Let Your Eyes Look Straight Ahead, Fix Your Gaze Directly Before You. 26 Make Level Paths For Your Feet And Take Only Ways That Are Firm. 27 Do Not Swerve To He Right Or The Left; Keep Your Foot From Evil.

In pain, common sense can fail us. Pain clouds our mind and distorts our judgment. In pain, common sense may speak, but we do not always listen. Pain is a destructive power in our life. In your daily walk, the powers of darkness and evil do not want you looking straight ahead. The powers of darkness use pain to disrupt your common sense and spiritual foundation. The satanic powers of darkness use pain to distract you while placing all kinds of temptations, enticements, and distractions in front of you. However, in your daily walk where you battle pain and the many distractions, temptations, and enticements, Christ walks with you. When you consider the pain Christ suffered, you will find the power to push away all distractions, temptations, and enticements. When you kneel at the foot of His Cross, you are empowered to walk His path even in pain. With Christ as your guide, you will be the straight and true person He always meant for you to be.

Psalm 25:15 My Eyes Are Ever On The LORD, For Only He Will Release My Feet From The Snare.

Pain puts us in a snare or prison from which it seems we have no escape. We may see our life and circumstances in pain the same way we see prison bars because pain puts us in a form of prison. Within the prison of our pain we do have the choice of looking up into the heavens. Beyond the heavens rests our infinite God full of His infinite love for each of us. In pain, we tend to think only of our pain. In pain, we use all of our resources to focus our attention on getting rid of our pain or upon the pain itself. Our pain traps our attention. In our pain, we focus upon our hurt. When we are trapped by pain, God is the way to our freedom.

When you face a grim circumstance in your life, one way or another, sooner or later, God will come to the rescue and give you freedom if you look up to Him. When you immerse your heart, mind, soul, and body in Christ's love He gives you a freedom you can find only in Him.

Luke 12:29 And Do Not Set Your Heart On What You Will Eat Or Drink; Do Not Worry About It. 30 For The Pagan World Runs After All Such Things, And Your Father Knows That You Need Them. 31 But Seek His Kingdom, And These Things Will Be Given To You As Well.

In our pain we seek diversions to keep our mind off our pain. In diversions rests great evil desiring to take us away from our Lord. We must never look upon the glamour of the world with a lust for the glamour. We must never look upon the wealth of the world with a lust for wealth. Our pain makes us want to sin. Our pain takes our heart and destroys the place of God within us. In all matters, at all times, we must be honest and humble before our Lord. When we are in pain, we are more susceptible to the wiles of Satan. In our pain, we must be on guard so we do not falter because faltering breaks the heart of God. When you seek God first, you can do more with less while you earn more with what you have.

Luke 18:28 Peter Said To Him, "We Have Left All We Had To Follow You!" 29 "I Tell You The Truth," Jesus Said To Them, "No One Who Has Left Home Or Wife Or Brothers Or Parents Or Children For The Sake Of The Kingdom Of God 30 Will Fail To Receive Many Times As Much In This Age And, In The Age To Come, Eternal Life."

Our pain makes us want to turn away from the kind of sacrifice that causes us to be in more pain than we experience in the present moment. The path of Christ is difficult for those who do not live in pain. Christ's path for those of us who do live in pain is even more difficult. As His children who have accepted Christ as Savior and Lord, we must never use our pain as some kind of excuse not to give our all in His service. We must be unrelenting in doing His work. Pain must never be an excuse. We must be tough as nails but soft, kind, caring, and compassionate. Walking Christ's path is a lonely walk, more so if we must endure hurt, heartache, and pain. The sacrifice we make for Christ is seen by Him, known by Him, and embraced by Him. Every moment we live for Him is a moment stored up in Heaven. No matter how much of a price we pay as Christ's child, the price we pay is nothing compared to the price Christ paid for us on the cross. When we walk, stumble, and even crawl our way down His difficult road, we glorify His holy name. We must remember all of our pain and suffering for Him is worth it. What we give to Him brings to us a glorious reward. What glory we will see! What love we will feel! What rejoicing we will find!