Have you ever noticed how the pain you go through in life leads to more pain? It’s often a horribly destructive process. It usually goes something like this…
1. Emotional or Physical Pain or Trauma leads to Emotional Despair
The chronic pain in your back or the loss of a loved one has led to a deep sense of grief, depression, resentment and hopelessness.
2. Emotional Despair leads to Spiritual Pain
You find yourself in such a dark place that a frustration with God has surfaced. You have an apathy towards Him and it feels like He doesn’t even care about you any longer.
3. Spiritual Pain leads to inappropriate actions or mishandled relationships
Now we find ourselves doing things we swore we would never do to numb the physical, emotional and spiritual pain.
I’ve seen this play out in my own life. 2 years ago, a chronic pain led me to a place of depression and frustration with the hand I had been dealt. I could feel this physical pain begin to impact my emotional health. Soon after the depression came a deep distance was felt between God and me. As that progressed my actions towards my family began to suffer. I was easily angered by my kids and impatient (even more than normal) with my wife.
My guess is you can relate to this to some degree...
Losing the loved one led to a deep grief that you couldn’t escape. The grief led to a resentment or distance from God where you started to wonder if he even cared about you. This spiritual frustration led you to shutting out others and trying to numb the pain by binging Netflix, drinking alcohol, viewing pornography, or consuming yourself in pain meds.
Having the abusive dad led to a mental hardening that was required to endure your everyday reality. This led to a challenge viewing God as a Father and a resentment towards him. The only father you have ever known let you down. The result? Filling the void of a father with every guy you dated or male boss you sought approval from.
Or maybe like me- the Chronic pain led to emotional despair and that led to spiritual distance and that led to you yelling at your kids when they look at you wrong.
Now your details may be a bit different – but you get the point. Physical and Emotional pain impacts every part of your life. It’s like a stone hitting a calm pond- the ripple effect consumes everything.
But I have a very importance question for you – Does it have to be this way?
Is the point of our existence to simply tolerate the pain until we breathe our last? I don’t think so!
In Psalm 103:1-5 we see one small part of scripture point to a supernatural healing that can affect every part of the pain ripple effect that might be impacting your life.
Praise the Lord, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. 2Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits— 3who forgives all your sins (Spiritual) and heals all your diseases (Physical), 4who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion (emotional), 5who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s (Actions). Ps 103:1–5
It’s a showcase of the overwhelming, all-encompassing healing nature of God. Whatever your struggle is – whether it is physical, emotional or spiritual know that healing is possible.
The emotional pain you have experienced or the physical pain that consumes you doesn’t have to carry you down a spiral of destruction. The ripple effect doesn’t have to keep ruining your life and relationships. Why? Because scripture leaves no doubt… Healing is possible!!!
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All throughout the Bible we see example after example of how God brings healing. My hope is that one or all of these passages encourage you today!
Be merciful to me, Lord, for I am faint; O Lord, heal me, for my bones are in agony. 3My soul is in anguish. How long, O Lord, how long? 4Turn, O Lord, and deliver me; save me because of your unfailing love. 5No one remembers you when he is dead. Who praises you from the grave? 6I am worn out from groaning; all night long I flood my bed with weeping and drench my couch with tears. 7My eyes grow weak with sorrow; they fail because of all my foes... “9The Lord has heard my cry for mercy; the Lord accepts my prayer Psalm 6:1–7,9.
The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles. 18The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. Psalm 34:17-18
The Lord will sustain him on his sickbed and restore him from his bed of illness. Ps 41:3
Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits— 3who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases… Ps 103:2–3
Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. James 5:14
He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” Re 21:3–4
Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. 2Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. Psalm 51:1-2