Finding Purpose in Pain: A Journey of Faith and Healing
I wanted to share a personal experience I’ve been going through recently. For weeks, I've been dealing with extreme, random knee pain. It's like intense cramps or electric shocks, debilitating in nature, that come and go throughout the day and night. This has been physically and mentally exhausting.
After numerous X-rays, MRIs, and other tests, doctors found nothing wrong. Despite the lack of answers, the pain persisted.One Thursday evening at 3 a.m., I was jolted awake by another intense pain attack. Once it subsided, I went back to bed and began praying fervently. During this prayer, something incredible happened. A warm feeling of calm, which I believe was the Holy Spirit, came over me. My mind was flooded with thoughts about my pain. I can't explain all of them, nor do I have time to list them all here, but here is the short list:
- This is not about me.
- Satan will attack.
- Suffer in this for God until it's over.
- Embrace this as you are doing it for God.
- He is with me.
- This pain can't stop you.
- Pray hard.
Then, a purpose became clear to me:
- Lead the charge.
- Shine His light.
- Stand firm in your faith.
- Do not worry about your body.
- Never stop.
- Be thankful.
- Do it now.
The Bible verse that came to mind was Philippians 4:6-7:"Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."I'm still working through this, but it seems there is a purpose and reason for this pain. I had to slow down to receive this message, and perhaps God is using this pain to help me see what He wants me to see.Satan will attack us in many ways to distract us, but we must keep fighting for God's purpose and live for Him in all we do. If you are experiencing physical or emotional pain, give it to God and look to Him for purpose and answers. Sometimes the answer is not what we expect, but God has an ultimate purpose.