What about pain drives us to God? These are in no particular order, but how they came to me as I thought it through, according to what the Word says.

1. Pain gives you a large dose of reality. 2 Cor 4:7-12. We live in such made up fantasy world sometimes, God wants us to live in the real world, and it is a world of pain.

2. Pain makes you tender to things you are sometimes hardened to. Like the needs and weaknesses of others. Rom 12:9-13.

3. Pain helps you focus on unseen things. 2 Cor 4:13-18. There is now the unseen eternal realm to which we do well to focus upon.

4. Pain helps you remember your gospel hope. 1 Peter 1:3-9. Pain wrapped in Gospel hope can be just what we need to refocus on Jesus.

5. Pain gives opportunity for the church to encourage one another. Rom 12:14-21. Here's a good idea, when you are praying for believers to be comforted, be the answer to your prayer.

6. Pain helps you not lose heart because it leads to joy. 2 Cor 4:16; Rom 5:1-5; James 1:2-4. The joy we have in Christ cannot be manufactured, it is given to us by grace.

7. Pain keeps you on point for Jesus and the gospel. As the Master went, so shall the servant be. John 15:20.

Elisabeth Elliot opened the door to me to learn of Amy Carmichael who wrote a poem entitled “No Scar?”. It goes like this…

Hast thou no scar, no hidden scar, on foot or side or hand?

I hear thee sung as mighty in the land.

I hear them hail thy bright ascendant star.

Hast thou no scar?

Hast thou no wound?

Yet I was wounded by the archers, spent,

leaned me against a tree to die

and rent by ravening beast that compassed me,

I swooned, hast thou no wound?

No wound, no scar?

Yet as the Master must a servant be

And pierced are the feet that follow after me,

Yet thine are whole

Can he have followed far, who has no wound nor scar?

Getting out of the depths of despair:

Like quicksand, you cannot climb out on your own, but you can cooperate with the rescue efforts.

1. Humbly let the Word of God wash over you and permeate your soul.
2. Humbly let others help you.
3. Humbly look for others you might help, once you are freer.

I hope these words have encouraged you in some way today. May you be drawn ever closer to Christ to walk with Him in humble, dependent worship as you live this life in light of Jesus and the gospel.