Explanations for PainSample

We don’t know why; we do know who

When I was growing up in church, every Easter service was guaranteed to have a rousing rendition of “I Know That My Redeemer Lives.” Ever heard it? It’s an eight-stanza marathon of praise to Jesus, the Redeemer who paid the price for our sins before rising, alive, from the grave.

But the life of our Redeemer isn’t just an Easter thing. It’s a suffering thing. When we are living with chronic pain, waves of grief, and unanswered questions, we need words like these—“I know that my redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand on the earth. And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God; I myself will see him with my own eyes—I, and not another. How my heart yearns within me!” (Job 19:25-27).

Job desperately wanted to know why he lost his health, wealth, and all 10 of his kids, but God never revealed the why. Instead, God revealed himself. Job confessed, “I know that my redeemer lives.”

I won’t claim to know why you are in pain, but I do know who Jesus is. He is your Redeemer, the Savior who personally paid the price for your sins. He is the Son of God, who now lives and reigns, awaiting the day when he returns to end your pain forever. You will see him, even if your body falls apart in this life.

Your Redeemer is alive today. That’s something to sing about!