When God doesn’t get rid of the pain right away, he instead gives the strength to endure it and the grace to glorify him through it.
SHAUNA: Hi, this is Shauna on Joni Eareckson Tada: Sharing Hope. Well, Joni, I know you’re dealing with a letter right now that’s probably close to impossible to answer.
JONI: Oh, it sure is Shauna. It came from someone who I’ll call Kevin: “Joni, I struggle with intractable, life-altering pain. My pain started shortly after I had a mountain bike accident 32 years ago. It has since increased. And I’ve tried everything to mitigate my pain [medication, surgery, acupuncture, stimulators, you name it], but nothing works, and it continues to worsen. I was a youth pastor and after that, a high school teacher. My pain got so severe, I finally had to go on disability retirement 5 years ago. I am now 65, and in a wheelchair. So, here’s my question. How does prayer work in the light of the suffering you and I deal with?
In John 14, Jesus says, ‘You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.’ Then in John 15, ‘If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it’ll be done for you.’ Now, I’m not asking for money, fame, or power. All I want is to live with a little less of this terrible pain. And I have been persistently asking for 32 years. Yet God is silent. So, how are we supposed to go on when each new day is a struggle because it means another day of misery?”
Can you see why I felt it was impossible to answer Kevin’s letter? Because although it is true that God will answer our prayer for things like finances, or a new home, or healing from pain, for the most part, those promises [and they are all promises with conditions, with strings attached], the answers for all those promises are meant to serve God’s eternal purposes for us and for others in the kingdom of Christ. Even finances or that new home or being healed of pain, all of it in the end must serve, or strengthen, or testify to what God values. When we pray “in his name,” or “in his will;” when his words remain in us and we remain in him, we are praying [or we should be praying] for things that strengthen the cause of the kingdom of God. Like, in Matthew 7, “The good gifts that the father gives,” those good gifts are supposed to be for our sanctification. Your eternal well-being. Your training as a disciple. Perseverance that produces mature character which, in turn, produces hope. The good gifts that God has given me in my pain – those gifts are courage and a dogged insistence that first thing when I wake up – man, I’ve got to lean hard into Christ. The good gifts God’s given me are peace in my pain and contentment. And when I have asked Jesus to heal me, he has answered by raising my tolerance for pain. These are the answers that God most often gives. And these are the answers that most beautifully glorify him.
Oh, Kevin, I wish I could make it easier. I mean there really is so much more to say about managing pain, but our time here is so short, and friend, I mainly wanted to respond to your questions about prayer. God wants us to grasp Romans 8:32, “He who did not spare his own son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?” My pain pales in comparison to Jesus who was impaled on a cross. Jesus suffered for me and when I suffer with him, he “freely gives me all things.” Being able to be joyful above the misery. You know, it’s Pain Awareness Month and I ask you my friend listening to please pray for Kevin and how God is going to work through his pain.
© Joni and Friends