Pain Management
In the Hands of the Great Physician
by David Jeremiah

Pain has been around forever and seems to be a permanent part of the human condition-that means we can learn about the complexities of pain from those who have gone before us.

If God chooses to allow pain, it must be because it is a means to a greater end. If God allows you to live with pain, it must be because pain is a window into a world that is deeper than a pain-free life ever could be.

God, the Great Physician
By studying Scripture and growing in our intimacy with God, we can bring a whole new perspective-one not promoted at most pain management clinics-to the experience of pain. There is no pain God is not able to treat.

•God and your physical pain. Though racked by physical pain on the cross, it was His spirit, not His body, which Jesus committed to God (Luke 23:46). This is not to minimize physical pain, for God delivered many from it in Scripture. But it is to remember that even when physical pain cannot be removed, God is still the comforter of the spirit.

•God and your spiritual pain. King David is well-known for his sin against Bathsheba and her husband, Uriah. David is perhaps less well-known for the agony of spirit he endured when he covered up his sin. It was only when he confessed to God-"Against You, You only, have I sinned . . ." (Psalm 51:4)-that he found relief from his spiritual torment: "Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered" (Psalm 32:1). The pain of the spirit is probably the most grievous of all, but it can be relieved by acknowledging our sin to God (1 John 1:9).

•God and your emotional pain. When Joseph met his brothers years after their crime against him, "he turned himself away from them and wept" (Genesis 42:24). The years of rejection and isolation he had felt as a result of being rejected by his own brothers came pouring out in tears. Yet Joseph found relief from his pain in the purposes of God. He told his mortified brothers, "Do not be afraid . . . . as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive" (Genesis 50:19-20). In this Old Testament version of Romans 8:28, we see that it is possible to find emotional healing-even after years of pain.

The Scripture's Prescription
If you suffer with pain of any kind, remember the following seven truths, illustrated over and over in Scripture. Ask God if one of them is your Scripture prescription for the pain you are experiencing.

1. Pain can purify. If pain causes us to make a searching evaluation of the state of our heart, then it is a good thing (Psalm 51:17; 139:23-24).

2. Pain can penetrate. It may take pain to break through a stubborn will that has resisted the will of God (Jonah 2:1-10).

3. Pain can protect. Sometimes a painful circumstance can shield us from something far worse (Acts 21:27-36).

4. Pain can promote. The pain of failure can be a catalyst that propels us to greater maturity and deeper understanding (Luke 22:60-62).

5. Pain can prove. The pain of God's discipline can prove to us that we are His children (Hebrews 12:4-13).

6. Pain can prepare. Pain can be God's way of putting us in a place for a role we had not anticipated (Revelation 1:9-11).

7. Warning! Pain can pretend. Pain can masquerade as the end instead of taking its rightful place as the means to God's end (2 Corinthians 12:7-10).

Remember, there is nothing you are going through, no pain you are feeling, that the Bible does not address and that God cannot see you through. Don't be one of those who allow pain to drive them away from God. Instead, let pain drive you into His loving arms where you can learn from Him and be comforted-in His time and in His way.

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This article was excerpted from Turning Points, Dr. David Jeremiah's devotional magazine. Call Turning Point at 1-800-947-1993 for your complimentary copy of Turning Points.

Monday, October 15, 2007