"And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free" - Does Pain Have a Purpose?

Another way to ask this question would be to ask, "Is God really good?"  In Romans 8 Paul equates the groaning and suffering of creation with childbirth, not death.  Again, another way to put it is that Paul equates pain with purpose…in the pains of childbirth, we know that there is a purpose for the pain.  Perhaps this is our clue about pain's purpose.

About childbirth, think about the physical pain a mother experiences during childbirth. As intense as it is, it's (hopefully) relieved the moment a healthy baby is placed in the mother's arms. Our pain, like that of childbirth, it is there for what comes AFTER the pain. We often forget that God knows what comes AFTER the pain, so it's not easy to trust Him in the midst of the pain.

Nothing can be more senseless than purposeless pain. So we have to ask ourselves if there is an ultimate purpose for our own suffering and pain.  Through our agony and pain that reaches down to our very souls (struggling with an untimely death, divorce or wayward children), we experience God in a much different way.  We come closer to God and when we move closer to Him we begin our healing process and are comforted by Him.  It is in the comforting that we  begin to realize that this pain-filled life is short in comparison to a pain-free life that is before us in eternity with God. Pain reveals our hearts and removes the filters that separate or prevents us from sincerely realizing our constant need for God in our lives.

Yes, pain has its purpose and that purpose is to expose the fact that we cannot be self-sufficient. Through our pain, with God in control of our lives, we know that what is coming AFTER the pain will be for our good. God is God and God will be God through the pain and God will be the Giver of the good that comes AFTER the pain.

For those grieving, struggling and "going through"…know that  troubles, worry, doubt and confusion doesn't last always!  Know that you will soon experience your "Late in the midnight hour, God will turn it around" moment.  Wait on The Lord and watch Him do it!