TODAY’S WORD FOR MONDAY MAY 29, 2017.
PAIN
DEFINITION:
Physical, mental or emotional suffering. Suffering of body or mind; to cause suffering to.
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil, my cup runs over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. Psalm 23:5-6.
As we are growing older we have aches and pains we never had to deal with before. We learn to live with these aches and pains, understanding they are just part of getting older. We give thanks to God daily that we have not experienced the extreme pain that some of our friends have experienced.
We are well aware that pain profoundly affects us. Doctors tell us that it causes depression and anxiety. On the positive side pain can make you more sensitive to the pain that others are going through. Pain can help you grow in the Lord because it forces you to lean on the Lord for His comfort and healing.
Often in life when a person goes through a time of suffering and pain he or she might refer to it as going through a deep valley in their life. When everything is going well in a person's life they might refer to it as though being on a mountain top of blessing.
In the Bible, valleys symbolize periods of hardship and suffering. In Psalm 23:4, the Psalmist evokes a particular threatening and painful image by referring to "the valley of the shadow of death." Physical and spiritual valleys are inevitable in our lives. Even those believers with great faith in the Lord will experience them.
In times of great pain many feel like they would just as soon die rather than endure more pain. Job experienced such a feeling. Even though Job had strong faith in God, his great pain and suffering brought him to such a depth of despair that he said, "Why did I not perish at birth, and die as I came out of the womb." Job 3:11
People rarely think of suffering or pain as profitable. But we need to learn that God can use the hardship and pain of a valley experience to mature us spiritually. We make discoveries about ourselves when we face pain and trials that point out clearly who we truly are. When our life is interrupted, and altered by pain, it often tests our faith. Pain can make us wonder if the Lord cares or has forgotten us. The Psalmist assures us that the Lord never forgets us. He tells us that God’s mercy and goodness will be with us “all the days of our lives.”
Valley experiences, like pain, reveal our priorities. God's purpose for us during our pain is to take away from us everything we depend on, our spiritual crutches included, until nothing in our lives competes with Jesus' reign in our lives. When we are down and out the only way for us to look is up.
Sadly, many people look instead to alcohol and drugs. Dependence on drugs and alcohol will always prove to be a dangerous and unsatisfying substitute for a dependence on God. In Psalm 23 David expresses the satisfying comfort that he finds through his dependence on the Lord.
David reminds us that God provides for our needs. He “prepare(s) a table before us in the presence of our enemies (trials), His rod and staff comfort us (in our pain) and He "anoint(s) our head with oil. (He blesses us).
A good shepherd, in Jesus day, rubbed oil onto the scrapes on his sheep while in the fields. In doing this the healing began immediately. Jesus is our good Shepherd. When we call on Jesus, He is there immediately. We experience healing from our pain and a renewed intimacy and a sense of peace that only the Lord can give us. This peace will sustain us through the present trial and far beyond.
Many people are facing pain in their lives today from various causes. It may be physical pain; it may be the pain of a dysfunctional marriage or family. It may be the pain of a lost job, home or some other material item. It may be the loss of a close relationship with God because of the "things" of life taking priority in one's life.
Whatever pain we are suffering we can be assured Jesus understands because of what Jesus Himself suffered in His life here on earth and in His death on the cross. He is waiting for you to come to Him so He can show His goodness and His mercy to you.
Our memory verse for this week is found in Proverbs 23:18.
For surely there is a hereafter, and your hope will not be cut off.
Thank You for the words of the Psalmist that have served as a reminder in my life to reach out to You when I go through the deep dark valleys of life. Thank You for being my Shepherd and watching over me with such great and loving care.
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