“My Pain”
“If I speak, my pain is not assuaged,
and if I forbear, how much of it leaves me? Surely now God has worn me out; he
has made desolate all my company. And he has shriveled me up, which is a
witness against me; my leanness has risen up against me, and it testifies to my
face. He has torn me in his wrath, and hated me; he has gnashed his teeth at
me; my adversary sharpens his eyes against me. They have gaped at me with their
mouths; they have struck me insolently on the cheek; they mass themselves together
against me. God gives me up to the ungodly, and casts me into the hands of the
wicked. I was at ease, and he broke me in two; he seized me by the neck and
dashed me to pieces; he set me up as his target; his archers surround me. He
slashes open my kidneys, and shows no mercy; he pours out my gall on the
ground. He bursts upon me again and again; he rushes at me like a warrior. I
have sewed sackcloth upon my skin, and have laid my strength in the dust. My
face is red with weeping, and deep darkness is on my eyelids, though there is
no violence in my hands, and my prayer is pure…”
Why is there suffering? You might ask
that question when you think of earthquakes, hurricanes, mudslides and other
disasters. We cannot escape the laws the govern our
universe, but we can have God to protect us eternally. We are a social race and
that means our lives are intertwined, so we sometimes suffer when the sin or
foolishness of others spreads trouble. Sin brought a curse on the earth and its
people, and that curse includes disease and death. Suffering awakens
compassion. Jesus told us to take care of those who suffer in poverty. We are
His partners in helping others.
As Job discovered, God’s world is a
fallen place. When we are suffering, we can use it as an opportunity to serve
God by helping others, to trust Him in spite of the difficulty, and to grow in
our faith in Him.
When trouble hits, let our first
reaction be to trust the Lord and care for the needs of others.
Our response
to suffering can either make us or break us.
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