The Purposes of Pain

Today I know there are many people who are suffering with pain and illness.  They may be praying believers, but still, their pain and illness persists.  They may have gone to the doctor, but not even the doctor is able to help.  Many times we wonder why we have to suffer, especially if we feel we have been trying to do a good work with our lives, and now this pain and illness has come along, and is so persistent, we can hardly make it through the day.  In the past couple of weeks the Lord has allowed me to also go through a trying time with my physical health, which is something quite rare for me.  I came down with a cold that lasted far longer than I thought it would.  At around the same time a very strange sore appeared in my mouth.  Just before the sore appeared, I could feel the left side of my mouth and jaw stiffen up as if I had been struck by something.  I wondered if one of my teeth was in trouble, and this would not be good news since all my insurance has run out!  Normally I would have seen a doctor or a dentist, but this time I waited.  I kept praying about what to do and the Lord responded to me immediately.   

One of the first things he told me was that it was nothing to worry about and it would go away on its own.  I was at peace with that.  But as time wore on and the days began to number, the sore did not go away, and I began to wonder if I had heard from God.  Every time I'd look at the sore on my gums, I'd feel a sense of panic as many things crossed my mind.  So the Lord told me that each time I looked at the sore, I was to pray for someone else.  One day I did this every time I looked at it.  Many people were prayed for that day, and I was not focusing on the sore, which wouldn't have helped things anyway. 

The other thing the Lord was teaching me is the importance of continuing to do HIS WORK in spite of my own discomfort and fears.  So each day I busied myself preparing or doing something for someone else.  All the while, I was struggling with the cold as well, and feeling quite run down.  But it is really true; the Lord gave me strength for the day because I was working for Him.  The verse, And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not (Galatians 6:9), went through my mind over and over again.  The other verse that came to me is My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness, (2 Corinthians 12:9).  God wants to show His power through us, and He can only do this when we are empty of our own strength.  That is why in the next verse (10), Paul says Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.  Every time I allowed myself to fret and fear about my physical ailments, God was not getting the glory.  God must get the glory in everything, even when and especially when we are weak, frail, afraid and in need.  Later on, Paul says in Galatians 6:14, But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, because God gets the glory instead of Paul (especially if he had a problem-free life and tried to take credit for it).    

I learned through this that even though Satan will use our weaknesses to try and get us to focus on them instead of our great Lord, the Lord also allows us to go through things to teach us His amazing and awesome ways.  Many times it is exactly what I was going through - to learn to keep doing His will even when I'd rather wallow in my pain and focus on my fears (or any other besetting problem as far as that goes).  I also learned that God uses our weaknesses to grow us.  Do we really think that growing comes without pain?  And do we really believe that our service to Him begins only when all of our problems disappear?   

To sum it up, when it was well into the second week the sore seemed to be getting worse, and one day I ended up in a dreaded state of fear after noticing how big the sore had gotten.  I decided to go and see a doctor the following day.   My mother and my husband prayed very hard for me that night.  I went to bed and thought how strange I should feel so completely peaceful.  I went to sleep and woke up rested (a rare thing).  In the morning there was the sore as big as it had been the night before.  I got up and as I started to get ready for the day, I thought I'd pray a different way - I thought of the time Jesus cursed the fig tree and it died, so I thought I'd try that - I cursed the sore in my mouth and then said, "Help me Jesus."  I no sooner turned around, and felt the sore, then looked at it and it had already shrunk.  What a miracle!  I got in to see a doctor and was able to get in within the hour (another miracle).  He looked at it and said it was nothing to worry about.   

The lesson I learned above all is that God has promised to heal and provide, but we must continue to do His work and His will in order to live victorious above and beyond all our troubles and woes.  We shouldn't wait for things to be perfect before we do the Lord's work and will (this has to do with helping and thinking of and loving others).  It is the only way we can rise above our own flesh and its many demands. 

The other verse that meant a lot to me during those difficult 14 or 15 days is this: 

Matthew 6:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. 

For me the "ALL THESE THINGS" was healing.  Praise be to God! I am so thankful for what I learned during this difficult time, and so pleased to be able to pass it on to you so that you can take heart and feel encouraged as you go through your own particular trials.