People experience hurt in many ways. There is a pain beyond imagination caused by a disease with no cure. There is a temporary pain that comes with curable ailments. There is emotional pain that comes from loneliness, disappointment and hurt – hurt, perhaps, something we have experienced as the result of a friend turning his back on us. Pain may also come when our dreams suddenly seem beyond our reach or when we must bid farewell to a loved one who is dying.
There is also a pain that commonly comes upon all of us as we attempt to engage the battle to maintain ourselves spiritually. Sometimes, it is the pain of growth and development or of seeing brothers and sisters hurt as we ache with them. It could be the agony of brethren who have gone astray or of seeing the church of our Lord split or divided – fuming and fussing. This kind of inner turmoil threatens to keep us from the great mission that God has set for us.
The apostle Paul endured incredible physical hardships as the result of his service for our Lord, but he was nonetheless conscious of the dangers that were present for the church. Of all the pains and turmoil in his life, his ever-present concern was for the spiritual side of life.
From the Jews five times I received forty stripes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods; once I was stoned; three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I have been in the deep; in journeys often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils of my own countrymen, in perils of the Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; in weariness and toil, in sleeplessness often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness – besides the other things, what comes upon me daily: my deep concern for all the churches. (2 Corinthians 11:24-28 NKJV)
It is inevitable that we will be beset with various pains, whether physical, emotional or spiritual. The key, however, is that we continue to move forward regardless of the constant pressure to just give up. Our trust in God for the ultimate final victory needs to be such that the pain we feel will lend itself to the purpose of strengthening rather than weakening.
