There is a lot of pain in this world.  As believers, what are we to make of it, as we see pain touch our lives or the lives of family, friends, co-workers, acquaintances, or even enemies?

It is not uncommon to hear believers say something like, “I don’t know why God is punishing me like this,” when they find out they have an illness, disappointment, trial or tribulation.  We need to be careful who we blame for such sources of pain.

God allows pain to touch our lives, but He, unlike Satan, allows pain to touch us for some eternal “good.”  Whereas, Satan uses pain, disappointments, trauma, abuse, wounds, etc., to entice us … manipulate us in to thinking and believing that GOD IS OUR GREATEST ENEMY.  Sadly, Satan has done a pretty good job in causing Christians to DOUBT the goodness of God.

So, what are we to do?  We are to remember that:

  1. “God is good, always good, and can never be anything but good; or He does not exist.” (Murphy-ism)
  2. “God never wastes pain.” (Murphy-ism)  If He permits something to touch your life, He has a perfect, good, and Godly reason to allow it.  God means it for good; Satan means it to rob, steal, kill, and destroy.
  3. Eve and Adam, being deceived by Satan, the deceiver, enticer, manipulator, seducer, etc., wanted to be “god” and ate the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil.
  4. From an eternal perspective, our time on this earth is like “pin point” of our eternal existence.  Plus, Jesus gave us a “power source” to bear up and overcome the trials and tribulations of this world.
  5. Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 4:17, “For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison.

This perspective is not to make light of your pain and suffering.  May that never be.  But it is to encourage us all to try our best to see everything from an eternal perspective versus an earthly perspective.

Praying for you in the midst of what you are facing today.