Praying through Pain

“He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. He determines the number of the stars; He gives to all of them their names. Great is our Lord, and abundant in power; His understanding is beyond measure. The Lord lifts up the humble; He casts the wicked to the ground.” –Psalm 147:3-6. “In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart: I have overcome the world.” -John 16:33b (ESV).

In the world we meet many people who go through brokenheartedness, trials, tribulations. We ourselves may have burdens hard to bear. I see major significance in the writer of Psalm 147 saying in verse 3 that God ‘heals the brokenhearted, binds up their wounds.” And in the very next statement he tells that God “determines the number of the stars…gives all of them names.” God who is in charge of all creation, orders the stars and the heavenly bodies is the same one who stands to heal persons of whatever burden troubles them. The God of this vast universe is also the caring, healing God of the individual. He knows of all the stars in their courses, but he also knows all of us who suffer. He watches over all.

We enjoy a multitude of blessings that we do not deserve. We also suffer pain, some of which is probably deserved, and some of which may not be. Some are beset with terrible illnesses that oftentimes seem undeserved. We pray and some are relieved of suffering. We pray, and some must continue to bear the suffering. Why the difference? It is not for us to question why, but to bear with faith the pain and burdens we have. Jesus did not promise us that the way of the Christian would always be easy. In fact, He said in John 16:33 that “in the world you will have tribulation.” But He gave us the example of an overcomer: “Take heart, “ He said, “I have overcome the world.”

Sometimes God answers our prayers for relief, not by eliminating the pain, but by giving us strength and faith to overcome. A little girl fell and cut her eyelid badly. For some reason, the doctor felt it best not to give the child any anesthetic to stitch up the eyelid. He explained to her why and asked if she could be brave and not flinch as he “fixed” her eyelid. She said, “Yes. I can do that if my Daddy holds my hand.” And there was her Daddy, right beside her, holding her hand during the procedure. The little girl bravely bore the pain and did not flinch or cry.

Our Father God is wise, loving and tender. Like the little girl with her father, we can put our trust and dependence in God to see us through the pain and suffering we must bear. Even in the midst of pain, we can grow in strength and find victory through Him who helps us overcome. Selah!

-Ethelene Dyer Jones 03.01.2015