There Can Be Profit In Pain

I’d be lying if I said that Christians live a perfect life and never experience any pain. God does not send pain, but He can use it to get our attention. For example, pain can wake us up if we’re doing wrong.

Job went through a lot of pain caused by loss. Interestingly, the thing he wanted the most through all he went through, was God. Eventually, God showed up, spoke to Job, and Job truly understood that God was indeed what he needed.

But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel: For I will shew him how great things he must suffer for my name's sake. Acts 9:15-16 (KJV)

Jesus told the Apostle Paul that he would suffer a lot for being a minister and witness for Jesus. But, Paul overcame it all with Jesus. Persecution and pain will come, but we can overcome.

Depending on our choices and our attitudes, pain can draw us closer to God. It can make us better comforters, because we’ve been through pain ourselves and can identify with those who are hurting. The pain we’ve been through can make us more effective ministers of healing. We can let pain steal our lives or make us more determined to overcome it to have a better life. We can allow pain to stop us, or we can press through it to victory. We can allow pain to to make us bitter or to use it make us better people. Use pain for other’s gain by allowing it to make you more tender-hearted. We can learn much about ourselves in the midst of pain. Never waste any part of your life- even the painful parts- but find a way to use it for your benefit. We can gain strength of character, wisdom, and useful experience in pain. It often seems like many people draw closer to God and grow more in difficult circumstances than in easy times.

Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. Isaiah 53:4-5 (New International Version, NIV)

I want to be perfectly clear- pain is NOT God’s will for His children. Because Jesus took our pain on Himself, we don’t have to keep it. Give your pain to Jesus and receive His healing in return. We can remain joyful and hopeful in the midst of pain, fully expecting it to leave. Sin always hurts, but God heals and helps. The devil and sin are the source of pain, but we can turn the tables on him by believing God for healing and for using the pain for our benefit as we wait in faith for our deliverance from pain to manifest..

For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; II Corinthians 4:16-17 (KJV)

The things we go through can produce glory if we handle them properly. Pain doesn’t last forever. We just have to outlast the pain by staying in God’s Word and spending time in His presence to receive His strength to overcome any outward attack.

I strongly recommend that you read II Corinthians 4:8-18. Like Paul, we will suffer many things, but God will not leave us in our suffering. As we receive the life of Jesus, walking in faith by believing and speaking the Word, we will overcome pain and hardship every time. But utilize the pain you go through for the profit than can be found in it.

Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of his knowledge by us in every place. II Corinthians 2:14 (KJV)