purpose in your pain.
If you are like me, and every other human being on this planet, then you must have gone through some sort of pain in your life at one point or another. Maybe you are currently going through something right now and don’t see the purpose in it.
Whether it’s a medical issue, relational problems or financial difficulties, or maybe the loss of a loved one. Pain is ever-present in our lives, and if you are anything like me, I, too, wonder why God would allow us to experience hurt, pain and discouragement. When is enough just enough?
If I could just be honest for a bit… What is the purpose of carrying all this pain, all this hurt, all this disappointment? I feel like I can’t breathe sometimes - like I am drowning. What good could possibly come from this?
There has been times where I have spent nights crying out to God - begging Him to take it all away. Sometimes I even feel that God is silent; God is absent; God isn’t answering my prayers… But He is there. Always has been. He never left me and He has a purpose for my pain and He certainly has a purpose for your pain.
First things first, let’s look at Scripture. If we want to find our purpose through our pain, then we must look at God’s Word where truth, wisdom and guidance resides.
John 16:33 NLT says,
33 I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.”
Jesus actually tells us that we WILL go through trials and sorrows. It’s right there. Black and white. We are going to be going through some tough times, BUT He leaves with a promise. He promises peace and reminds us that He has overcome the world, meaning that our hardships aren’t without purpose.
We can also look at Romans 8:28 NIV,
28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
For a man who endured beatings, shipwrecks and multiple imprisonments, Paul recognizes something that is absolutely essential for us to remember as believers – our pain is not meaningless but has a purpose. And not just some situations, he writes all things. Every individual God used mightily throughout Scripture went through seasons of hardship. Moses had to flee his family who wanted to kill him, Elijah had people seeking his death, Queen Esther risked her life in order to save the Jewish people, Jesus’ disciples were all martyred for their commitment to Christ and our Savior was beaten and crucified for us.
Yet Scripture repeatedly speaks to how our suffering never concludes without God’s power working through and using it supernaturally.
“Our pain and suffering often sets us up to see God’s supernatural working in our lives.” - Justin Jahanshir
I may not know what you have gone through in your life, or the things you may struggle with, but I do know that there are some people who are hurting and you may want answers. One thing I have asked myself and others that I have mentored is, what are you reaching for when you’re in pain? What are the things you run to when you are hurting? Is it God? A loved one? Or alcohol? Drugs? Or maybe isolation?
Nothing can ever prepare us for certain hardships we are going to endure, but regardless of what you are walking through today, let’s look at a few tips that we can remember when we are facing difficult times :
Bring your pain to God. Stop running from Him.
When you run from God during seasons of pain, all you’re left with is your own limited ability to cope with what you’re walking through. But God invites us to draw near to him so that we might experience his peace, healing, and closeness.
Psalm 34:18 NIV says,
18 The Lord is close to the brokenhearted
and saves those who are crushed in spirit.
You see, God is the Ultimate Surgeon for our souls. He desires to conduct surgery on our hearts and souls which result in supernatural healing despite how difficult our challenges may be.
3 He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. (Psalm 147:3)
When we bring our pain to God we recognize that there is a purpose and in time He will reveal HIS divine purpose through it.
2. Fill your life with God’s Word and God’s people.
How we respond to pain and suffering is critical to how we process what’s happening and how healing will take place. Think of it like this, if you treat a sickness with incorrect medication, not only will your sickness continue, but it could also become worse.
We don’t want that to happen.
Same thing goes for your mind, if you fill your mind with wrong thoughts: God must be mad at me, God isn’t good, worse things are going to happen, blah blah blah, then we struggle to experience the peace that God promises to us. (Philippians 4:7)
But when you fill your life with God’s Word and surround yourself with people who speak hope and encouragement into your life, your experience through the hardships will be much healthier.
“How sweet your words taste to me; they are sweeter than honey.” Psalm 119:103
“When I discovered your words, I devoured them. They are my joy and my heart’s delight, for I bear your name, O LORD God of Heaven’s Armies.” Jeremiah 15:16
When we fill our minds with God’s Word, we are reminding ourselves of WHO our God is, WHAT He is like, and we replace the lies of the enemy with the TRUTH of our good God.
3. Don’t be filled with worry, but overflow with worship.
Something powerful happens when we actively choose to worship through our suffering. We aren’t denying reality, we are simply redirecting our posture from one of worry to one of worship.
Worship changes our perspective. Worship speaks about where our confidence and hope resides. Worship redirects our thinking. Worship places the results in God’s hands.
Whether your pain is the result of depression or anxiety, or a health diagnosis or relationship challenges, when you begin to worship the Lord through your struggle, spiritual chains begin to break so that you aren’t ruled by your circumstances but you set your sights on something higher. This is why Paul and Silas could praise when they were chained in prison. They recognized God was using their imprisonment for the spread of the Gospel.
4. Believe that God will turn your sorrow into joy.
One of the paradoxes of Christianity is that God uses pain for our good. Meaning that our biggest sorrows can result in our greatest joy. When you think about Jesus’ greatest sorrow – suffering the shame, punishment, and death for our sin, the result was great joy – the redemption of humanity and the opportunity for a reconciled relationship with the living God.
Never underestimate what God can do through your pain. God can use your situation to strengthen and encourage others that may be going through a similar situation. God can use your mistakes, disappointments, hurts and sorrows to heal others.
2 Corinthians 1:4 NLT says,
4 He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us.
SO, again I ask you, what are you reaching for while you’re in pain? Let’s reach out to God. Let’s reach for His Word. Let’s reach out in worship and to people who can encourage and uplift us.
Let’s remember that Jesus is with us during the hardest times and has even loved us in our darkest moments.
27 “I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid. (John 14:27)
20 “And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:20)
There is purpose in your pain and God definitely plans on using it and YOU to touch the lives of many.