“Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death so that we would rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead.” (2 Corinthians 1:9) Part of God’s purpose in moments of great pain is to teach us to rely on Him. Pain is an effective tool for this purpose. It strips us of all other confidences, persuades us that neither Drs, nor drugs, nor friends, nor self effort are sufficient solutions for our need. Pain turns us to God . It puts us on our knees. See the story of Job. Strange. When my body is suffering, my soul may be “getting well’ in a way that I have always needed, but could not learn apart from suffering. Is this too harsh? Not in God’s eternal economy! When Jesus is all we have, we learn that He is all we need. Pray today for those who are presently walking through the “valley of the shadow of death.” Someday, and this by God’s grace, we will all travel this helpful, painful road.
