January 4- For Those of You With Pain

Genesis 8:1-10:32
Matthew 4:12-25
Psalm 4:1-8
Proverbs 1:20-23

In my reading for January 4^th, I ran across a section that was interesting to me about “pain and suffering.” After reading the section of scripture in Matthew 4:23-25, I got to thinking about what it is to live with pain. One survey that I ran across says that right around half of all people suffer from some type of chronic pain on a daily basis (Elliott, Smith, Penny, Smith, & Chambers, 1999). That number is staggering, when one considers how hard it is to live with the small amount of pain any single one of us experiences daily. From headaches to back spasms, arthritis to sore muscles, pain is…. well, painful! As I read Matthew 4:24, the text makes a note to say that Jesus “healed those suffering severe pain.” At first glance, I think to myself “Sure. That’s what he did.” However, Jesus healing pain causes us to ask any number of Theological questions. Why is there pain in the world? Why would God make pain and then get rid of that pain? What’s God’s will when it comes to suffering? Does God want there to be pain or does he want us to live painless lives? These are complex questions that can never be satisfied. Here’s what I want to point out. For whatever reason, there is pain (many of us have it), and when God came to this world, he was glad to take it away! My question is, “What happened when Jesus left town? Did those people never experience pain again?” I assume that a person who was crippled experienced complete healing from Jesus, and the pain was totally wiped away. But, what happened if they left Jesus that day, climbed on a horse, and got bucked off? What happened if they got out of bed on the wrong side the next day? You want to know what I think? I think they felt pain! Sure, not the same pain as before, but different pain. Pain makes us human. This is why Jesus healed those with Leprosy who had lost their ability to feel. Just think about it! Jesus took away pain from some people and other people he gave pain! He took the unbearable pain from the crippled and gave healthy pain to the lepers. So, pain can be good. What I want to point out from the reading is that not everyone everywhere enjoys life without pain, just for being faithful to God. Maybe this is why Psalm 4:1-2 (also today’s reading) begins with the words “answer me when I call you” and “give me relief.” David seems to be indicating that he too has a life of pain (whether physical or in another form), which only God can heal. Did God relieve David’s pain? Did God relieve Job’s pain? What about Stephen in Acts? What about the pain felt by Paul for killing his brothers and sisters in Christ? What about Jesus’ pain as he hung there on the cross? Talk about a complex topic! One thing is for certain, God has shown us that sometimes he relieves pain, and sometimes he gives it. Sometimes he helps us endure suffering, and other times he knows it is more than we can bear, so he relieves it. Because I believe he is good, I don’t have to question his answer to my prayers. Rather, I just trust that when I call to him for help, he will do what is best for me.

Alison M Elliott, Blair H Smith, Kay I Penny, W Cairns Smith, W Alastair Chambers. (1999). The epidemiology of chronic pain in the community. The Lancet, 354(9186), 1248-52. Retrieved January 5, 2009, from Research Library database. (Document ID: 45662022).