NSMinistries
August 5th 2004, 03:57 PM
When it hurts.... (http://www.christianity.com/partner/Article_Display_Page/0,,PTID19179%7CCHID659574%7CCIID1797422,00.html)
By Alexis Francis
Why does God allow us to experience pain?
Many of you have have seen the smash hit Finding Nemo. My favorite scene in the entire movie is when Marlin and Dori are talking about Nemo (or more appriately deemed elmo, bingo, fabio, and many other names by the ever forgetful Dori.)
Marlin - I promised I'd never let anything happen to him.
Dori- Well, that's a funny thing to promise!
Marlin- huh?
Dori- Well if you never let anything happen to him, then nothing would EVER happen to him.
Dori may be the flaky fish of the bunch, but she brings up a very good point to the overprotective father. I bet many parents feel this way about their children. They are scared for them. Life isn't exactly easy. I'ts full of harmful and dangerous things. I also imagine God probably feels this way about us. When we feel pain, he cringes. But every good parent knows that they must let their children slowly develop independence, growing in maturity so that they may be prepared to go out into the world. A mother who constantly coddles a child, letting it know nothing but the comfort of a down pillow and the safety of the home boundaries, will never be equipped to face a world of raising one's own family, having a job, or handling emotional stress.
Of course we don't really question God's parenting abilities when things are all hunky-dory in our lives. It's when we feel pain that we all of a sudden bring God into questioning. We sit him down at a table and shine a light in his face, shouting "Why me? Why now? Where were you on the night of _ when I was suffering?"
Sound a little too familiar? Pain is on of the hardest things to explain; emotional, physical, spiritual. Pain comes in all kinds of different ways, but one thing always stays the same...we always ask why. I recently got my hands on a book called Where is God when it hurts? by Philip Yancey.
In the book is an account of Dr. Paul Brand who has an unusual reverence for pain. He works with leprosy victims at Carville.
"Leprosy- the age old disease accounted in the Bible. Leprosy is indeed cruel bu not in the manner of most diseases. Primarily it works like an aeisthetic, attacking the pain cells of hands, feet, nose, ears, and eyes to produce numbness. Not so bad really, one might think. Most diseases are feared because of their pain; what makes a painless disease so horrible? Yet leprosy's numbing quality is precisely the reason for the fabled destruction of tissue. For thousands of years people thought the disease itself cause the ulcers on hands and feet and face that so often lead to infection and ultimately loss of limbs. Dr. Brand's pioneering research in India established that in virtually all cases leprosy only numbs the extremeties. Tissue damage results solely because the warning system of pain has fallen silent. "~Where is God when it Hurts? by Philip Yancey
Leprosy- the painless hell. Little wonder that after so many years treating these kinds of patients Dr. Brand had come to appreciate and love pain. Pain is our body's way of signaling that something is wrong. It is the bodies warning system; a flashing red light that says "danger danger." If you sprain your ankle, those nerves send a message to your brain telling you that it hurts when you walk on it, so that you will let it heal. When you stick you hand in a fire your nerves send a signal to your brain saying that it hurts and that to continue doing that would cause tissue damage- so we stop. Sometimes we take the little warning from our body for granted. Dr. Brand records a case of a man living with leprosy whose eyelids are so numb that he appears to be constantly crying, as his body has lost the reflex to blink. Is a life free of at least physical pain so glamorous?
Spritual and emotional pain can also signal to us that something is wrong. Take the emotion of guilt. It is a signal that we have done something wrong in our lives. It is a warning beacon saying "hey buddy, something is wrong in here." When we sin, it opens the floodgates for spiritual pain. That pain is a signal that something has gone wrong with our spiritual lives. Another warning signal that part of us needs to stop what is causing the pain.
What would life be like without pain? Why do so many people experience such terrible things? Does God play the game of chess with us as the pawns?Why does mental illness or cancer exist? Can a loving God really put these things on his children? Is pain a punishment of sins? The list of questions can go on and on.
" We want not so much a father in heaven as a grand-father in heaven-whose plan for the universe was such that it might be said at the end of the day, "A good time was had by all." I should very much like to live in a universe which was governed on such lines, but since it is abundantly clear that I don't, and since I have reason to believe nevertheless that God is love, I conclude that my conception of love needs correction...Over a sketch made idly to amuse a child, an artist may not take much trouble: he may be content even though it is not exactly as he meant it to be. But over the great picture of his life- the work which he loves, though in a different fashion, as intensely as a man loves a woman or a mother a child- he will take endless trouble- and would, doubtless, thereby give endless trouble to the picture if it were sentient. One can imagine a sentient picture, after being rubbed and scraped and rec-commenced for the tenth time, wishing that it were only a thumb-nail sketch whose making was over in a minute. In the same way, it is natural for us to wish that God had designed us for a less glorious and less arduous destiny, but then we are wishing not for more love but for less." ~ C.S. Lewis from The Problem of Pain
Does pain have to hurt? By definition Pain goes right with hurting....but here's a reason why it may have to hurt....
"At first Dr. Brand sought a way to make his artificial pain system work without actually hurting the patient. He had read the complaints of various philosophers against the created world. Why hadn't God designed a nervous system that protects us, but without the unpleasant aspects of pain? Here was his chance to improve on the original design with a protective system that did not hurt. First his team tried sending an audible signal through a hearing aid, a signal that would hum when tissues were receiving normal pressures and buzz loudly when they were actually in danger. But the signal proved too easy to ignore. If a patient with a damaged hand was turning a screwdriver too hard, and the loud warning signal went off, he would simple override it and turn the screwdriver anyway. This happened not once, but many times. People who did not feel pain could not be persuaded to trust the artificial sensors. Brand's team next tried blinking lights, but soon eliminated them for the same reason. Finally they had to resort to electric shock, taping electrodes to a still-sensitive portion of the body, such as the armpit. People had to be forced to respond; being alerted to the danger was not enough. The stimulus had to be unpleasant, jus as pain is unpleasant." ~Where is God when it Hurts By Philip Yancey>
Who do we turn to when we experience pain? I've heard many people claim that "a loving God could never do this to_" but when times are good, never mention God again. What does it take for us to turn to him in our times of need? Amos 4:6 I gave you empty stomachs in every city and lack of bread in every town, yet you have not returned to me.' declared the Lord Psalm 69: 29 I am in pain and distress; may your salvation, O God, protect me. When someone is in pain... some christians will bring all sorts of arguments, as in the book of Job. Some say that you must of done something to deserve this...repent and be healed. Some say that the devil caused the suffering. The bible isn't exactly really clear about such things...not in any direct way. Some passages say one thing while some say others. But take a look at John 9 for a good answer:
Jesus Heals a Man Born Blind
1As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. 2His disciples asked him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?" 3"Neither this man nor his parents sinned," said Jesus, "but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life. 4As long as it is day, we must do the work of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. 5While I am in the world, I am the light of the world."
And at Job 42: Epilogue 7 After the LORD had said these things to Job, he said to Eliphaz the Temanite, "I am angry with you and your two friends, because you have not spoken of me what is right, as my servant Job has.
"Thus even in the Old Testament, where suffering is so frequently identified with God's punishment, Job's example shines brightly. The book of Job should nail a coffin lid over the idea that every time we suffer it's because God is punishing us or trying to tell us something. Although the Bible supports the general principle that "a man reaps what he sows" even in this life (see Psalms 1:3, 37:25) the book of Job proves that other people have no right to apply that general priciple to a particular person. Nobody deserved suffering less than Job, and yet few have suffered more". ~~Where is God when it Hurts By Philip Yancey
We all want to hold this optimistic view that the world is a beautiful wonderful place where God loves us (and by love I mean our definition of love being that nothing bad ever happens to us) and that a "good time was had by all." But we live on an ever groaning (Romans 8:22We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. 23Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.) planet. The world is full of pain and suffering. We hear about it all the time, but we never think "it will happen to me."
"Imagine a set of people all living in the same building. Half of them think it is a hotel, the other half think it is a prison. Those who think it a hotel might regard it as quite intolerable, and those who thought it was a prison might decide that it was really suprisingly comfortable. So that what seems the ugly doctorine is one that comforts and strengthens you in the end. The people who try to hold an optimistic view of this world would become pessimists: the people who hold a pretty stern view of it become optimists." ~C.S. Lewis from God in the Dock
So in light of all this, the world is looking pretty dark. Some would throw in the towel right about now but for Christians....we know that this is not all that we have been made for. Eternity has been set in our hearts. We are destined for other things. We also have the light of Christ. John 1: 3Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4In him was life, and that life was the light of men. 5The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it. Pain is something that we all have to deal with. But it is not all that we are destined for. This life is not all that we were created to live in.
Ecclesiastes 3 10 I have seen the burden God has laid on men. 11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end. We have been given a longing and a hunch (so to call it) of what lies for us on the otherside. Our job is to turn to God in our suffering. He will protect us. And one day there will come a time where we will have no pain and those of us who have kept our eyes on the prize (so to speak) will feel joy in unity with God. Revelation 21 3And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4He 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."
So Where is God when it hurts? He's crying right besides you asking you to lean on Him, because you were created for more than this. Ponder on that.
By Alexis Francis
Why does God allow us to experience pain?
Many of you have have seen the smash hit Finding Nemo. My favorite scene in the entire movie is when Marlin and Dori are talking about Nemo (or more appriately deemed elmo, bingo, fabio, and many other names by the ever forgetful Dori.)
Marlin - I promised I'd never let anything happen to him.
Dori- Well, that's a funny thing to promise!
Marlin- huh?
Dori- Well if you never let anything happen to him, then nothing would EVER happen to him.
Dori may be the flaky fish of the bunch, but she brings up a very good point to the overprotective father. I bet many parents feel this way about their children. They are scared for them. Life isn't exactly easy. I'ts full of harmful and dangerous things. I also imagine God probably feels this way about us. When we feel pain, he cringes. But every good parent knows that they must let their children slowly develop independence, growing in maturity so that they may be prepared to go out into the world. A mother who constantly coddles a child, letting it know nothing but the comfort of a down pillow and the safety of the home boundaries, will never be equipped to face a world of raising one's own family, having a job, or handling emotional stress.
Of course we don't really question God's parenting abilities when things are all hunky-dory in our lives. It's when we feel pain that we all of a sudden bring God into questioning. We sit him down at a table and shine a light in his face, shouting "Why me? Why now? Where were you on the night of _ when I was suffering?"
Sound a little too familiar? Pain is on of the hardest things to explain; emotional, physical, spiritual. Pain comes in all kinds of different ways, but one thing always stays the same...we always ask why. I recently got my hands on a book called Where is God when it hurts? by Philip Yancey.
In the book is an account of Dr. Paul Brand who has an unusual reverence for pain. He works with leprosy victims at Carville.
"Leprosy- the age old disease accounted in the Bible. Leprosy is indeed cruel bu not in the manner of most diseases. Primarily it works like an aeisthetic, attacking the pain cells of hands, feet, nose, ears, and eyes to produce numbness. Not so bad really, one might think. Most diseases are feared because of their pain; what makes a painless disease so horrible? Yet leprosy's numbing quality is precisely the reason for the fabled destruction of tissue. For thousands of years people thought the disease itself cause the ulcers on hands and feet and face that so often lead to infection and ultimately loss of limbs. Dr. Brand's pioneering research in India established that in virtually all cases leprosy only numbs the extremeties. Tissue damage results solely because the warning system of pain has fallen silent. "~Where is God when it Hurts? by Philip Yancey
Leprosy- the painless hell. Little wonder that after so many years treating these kinds of patients Dr. Brand had come to appreciate and love pain. Pain is our body's way of signaling that something is wrong. It is the bodies warning system; a flashing red light that says "danger danger." If you sprain your ankle, those nerves send a message to your brain telling you that it hurts when you walk on it, so that you will let it heal. When you stick you hand in a fire your nerves send a signal to your brain saying that it hurts and that to continue doing that would cause tissue damage- so we stop. Sometimes we take the little warning from our body for granted. Dr. Brand records a case of a man living with leprosy whose eyelids are so numb that he appears to be constantly crying, as his body has lost the reflex to blink. Is a life free of at least physical pain so glamorous?
Spritual and emotional pain can also signal to us that something is wrong. Take the emotion of guilt. It is a signal that we have done something wrong in our lives. It is a warning beacon saying "hey buddy, something is wrong in here." When we sin, it opens the floodgates for spiritual pain. That pain is a signal that something has gone wrong with our spiritual lives. Another warning signal that part of us needs to stop what is causing the pain.
What would life be like without pain? Why do so many people experience such terrible things? Does God play the game of chess with us as the pawns?Why does mental illness or cancer exist? Can a loving God really put these things on his children? Is pain a punishment of sins? The list of questions can go on and on.
" We want not so much a father in heaven as a grand-father in heaven-whose plan for the universe was such that it might be said at the end of the day, "A good time was had by all." I should very much like to live in a universe which was governed on such lines, but since it is abundantly clear that I don't, and since I have reason to believe nevertheless that God is love, I conclude that my conception of love needs correction...Over a sketch made idly to amuse a child, an artist may not take much trouble: he may be content even though it is not exactly as he meant it to be. But over the great picture of his life- the work which he loves, though in a different fashion, as intensely as a man loves a woman or a mother a child- he will take endless trouble- and would, doubtless, thereby give endless trouble to the picture if it were sentient. One can imagine a sentient picture, after being rubbed and scraped and rec-commenced for the tenth time, wishing that it were only a thumb-nail sketch whose making was over in a minute. In the same way, it is natural for us to wish that God had designed us for a less glorious and less arduous destiny, but then we are wishing not for more love but for less." ~ C.S. Lewis from The Problem of Pain
Does pain have to hurt? By definition Pain goes right with hurting....but here's a reason why it may have to hurt....
"At first Dr. Brand sought a way to make his artificial pain system work without actually hurting the patient. He had read the complaints of various philosophers against the created world. Why hadn't God designed a nervous system that protects us, but without the unpleasant aspects of pain? Here was his chance to improve on the original design with a protective system that did not hurt. First his team tried sending an audible signal through a hearing aid, a signal that would hum when tissues were receiving normal pressures and buzz loudly when they were actually in danger. But the signal proved too easy to ignore. If a patient with a damaged hand was turning a screwdriver too hard, and the loud warning signal went off, he would simple override it and turn the screwdriver anyway. This happened not once, but many times. People who did not feel pain could not be persuaded to trust the artificial sensors. Brand's team next tried blinking lights, but soon eliminated them for the same reason. Finally they had to resort to electric shock, taping electrodes to a still-sensitive portion of the body, such as the armpit. People had to be forced to respond; being alerted to the danger was not enough. The stimulus had to be unpleasant, jus as pain is unpleasant." ~Where is God when it Hurts By Philip Yancey>
Who do we turn to when we experience pain? I've heard many people claim that "a loving God could never do this to_" but when times are good, never mention God again. What does it take for us to turn to him in our times of need? Amos 4:6 I gave you empty stomachs in every city and lack of bread in every town, yet you have not returned to me.' declared the Lord Psalm 69: 29 I am in pain and distress; may your salvation, O God, protect me. When someone is in pain... some christians will bring all sorts of arguments, as in the book of Job. Some say that you must of done something to deserve this...repent and be healed. Some say that the devil caused the suffering. The bible isn't exactly really clear about such things...not in any direct way. Some passages say one thing while some say others. But take a look at John 9 for a good answer:
Jesus Heals a Man Born Blind
1As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. 2His disciples asked him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?" 3"Neither this man nor his parents sinned," said Jesus, "but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life. 4As long as it is day, we must do the work of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. 5While I am in the world, I am the light of the world."
And at Job 42: Epilogue 7 After the LORD had said these things to Job, he said to Eliphaz the Temanite, "I am angry with you and your two friends, because you have not spoken of me what is right, as my servant Job has.
"Thus even in the Old Testament, where suffering is so frequently identified with God's punishment, Job's example shines brightly. The book of Job should nail a coffin lid over the idea that every time we suffer it's because God is punishing us or trying to tell us something. Although the Bible supports the general principle that "a man reaps what he sows" even in this life (see Psalms 1:3, 37:25) the book of Job proves that other people have no right to apply that general priciple to a particular person. Nobody deserved suffering less than Job, and yet few have suffered more". ~~Where is God when it Hurts By Philip Yancey
We all want to hold this optimistic view that the world is a beautiful wonderful place where God loves us (and by love I mean our definition of love being that nothing bad ever happens to us) and that a "good time was had by all." But we live on an ever groaning (Romans 8:22We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. 23Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.) planet. The world is full of pain and suffering. We hear about it all the time, but we never think "it will happen to me."
"Imagine a set of people all living in the same building. Half of them think it is a hotel, the other half think it is a prison. Those who think it a hotel might regard it as quite intolerable, and those who thought it was a prison might decide that it was really suprisingly comfortable. So that what seems the ugly doctorine is one that comforts and strengthens you in the end. The people who try to hold an optimistic view of this world would become pessimists: the people who hold a pretty stern view of it become optimists." ~C.S. Lewis from God in the Dock
So in light of all this, the world is looking pretty dark. Some would throw in the towel right about now but for Christians....we know that this is not all that we have been made for. Eternity has been set in our hearts. We are destined for other things. We also have the light of Christ. John 1: 3Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4In him was life, and that life was the light of men. 5The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it. Pain is something that we all have to deal with. But it is not all that we are destined for. This life is not all that we were created to live in.
Ecclesiastes 3 10 I have seen the burden God has laid on men. 11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end. We have been given a longing and a hunch (so to call it) of what lies for us on the otherside. Our job is to turn to God in our suffering. He will protect us. And one day there will come a time where we will have no pain and those of us who have kept our eyes on the prize (so to speak) will feel joy in unity with God. Revelation 21 3And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4He 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."
So Where is God when it hurts? He's crying right besides you asking you to lean on Him, because you were created for more than this. Ponder on that.