Why Does God Allow Pain?

Have you ever asked God, “Lord, why am I going through this?” Have you ever wondered, “Will I ever heal from this pain?” We all have moments where we go through pain. However, rarely do we get to experience the purpose behind the trial and the blessing behind the mess. My new e-book, How to Find the Purpose in Your Pain, will teach you how to find purpose in the deepest areas of trauma and hurt in your life so you can learn how to find the hidden good behind your greatest struggles. Click here to read the free book sample.

Hey sis,

In this blog, I’m going to deal with a common question that we have all asked God in the place of experiencing pain: Why does God allow pain?

In our limited human understanding, it may not make sense why an all-powerful God doesn’t just stop all the pain we have to go through. 

At least, that’s how I felt when I went through one of the most painful periods of my life.

If you’ve been on this blogging journey with me for a while (since my “JordoneWrites” blog site days), then maybe you’re wondering why I popped off the blogging and social media space for a bit. Well, aside from my old blog getting hacked, I’ve been enduring some personal battles and felt like I needed to peel off the internet to peacefully heal.

A few years ago, my kids’ father and I (we are now approaching the end of a long divorce after his infidelity), had a stillborn daughter. 

By far, no one can imagine the pain that you feel holding your child in your arms after they have passed away. Even worse, to endure a divorce only a couple of years later was just heartbreaking. To add to that pain, my Dad died just one year after my husband filed for the divorce.

I had so many questions for God. Even worse, the people around me (for the most part), didn’t really know how to console me or support me.

Some would say awkward things and others would give me scriptures that just left me with more questions than comfort. 

I was in a place where I was in my greatest pain with no one to really comfort me in the way I needed. 

The healing I needed was so deep, so painful, and so intricate that only God Himself could do the work in my heart. 

It was at this place in my life that I began to turn to God in my place of pain. 

I was mad at Him. I didn’t understand His ways. …And quite frankly I was frustrated with Him for not answering my prayers to keep my child alive.

Yet, the One I was angry with was the only One that had the power to heal me.

And…even though I blamed Him for my pain, He still loved me in my insolence and met me in my prayers as I requested comfort.

It was then that I began to realize the secret to pain: it is the deepest place where true intimacy with Christ can be built. 

(Hence, the title of this blog website is called Intimacy with Christ)

Does God want us to suffer? 

Of course not. This is why He permits us to come to Him when we are hurting. 

While we live on this Earth, pain is inevitable but unnecessary suffering is optional.

In Romans 8:17-18, we learn that the “sufferings of this present time are unworthy to be compared with the glory that shall be revealed in us.”

So, although there are some sufferings we will have to go through as a part of life, there’s a place where we must recognize when we are allowing ourselves to unnecessarily suffer in a way that God has not called us to.

We permit ourselves to unnecessary suffering when we run away from God, His church, and the means He’s provided for us to receive comfort.  

We can’t help but endure the human experience of pain. 

But, when we bask in God’s Word and pray during our hardest times, we prevent the enemy from causing additional harm to us during our darkest hours. 

Even better, when we endure the trial uprightly, we receive the blessings that come from our loving Father.

No, I’m not speaking about material blessings. 

Rather, I’m talking about the type of intangible blessings that a loving Father gives when He sees His wounded daughter hurting. That blessing isn’t materialistic. 

It’s the blessing of fulfillment and joy that comes from coming to know Him more intimately because of our pain. 

As we hurt, we draw near to Him and begin to know more about His love for us.

In that process, what once caused us to suffer ends up being the result of a newfound identity and sense of belonging to Him. 

It’s important to know that the enemy wants you to stay in bondage. He wants you to blame God for your pain so that you avoid the only One who can help you to be free. 

But, the truth is that God desires to repair the damaged emotions that our hurt caused us so that we turn out better than we were before we went through the trial. 

Your pain will either help you or hurt you. 

Will you stop running from Him?

Will you let Him help you?

In the next blog, we will deal more with how to get this help from God but for now, I’ll leave you with a sermon. 

This message by Benny Hinn marked the beginning of my quest for a closer walk with Christ and taught me how to sit in God’s presence long enough to find His comfort:

Scripture:

“…and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together. For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.”- Romans 8:17-18, NKJV

Prayer: 

“Lord, please help me not to put myself through unnecessary suffering by way of disobedience. Help me to identify the areas of my life where I have self-inflicted stress, pain, and am making life harder on myself than you’ve called it to be. Help me to also heal in the areas where my pain was caused by others who meant me harm. Teach me how to run to you in the place of my pain. Teach me how to worship you and enjoy your presence even when I don’t understand your ways. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”

Remember to check back in the coming days

when I debut my new e-book…

Love,