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“When in Pain”
Josiah received a gift of pain that was his alone. But like Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane, when Josiah was overwhelmed with sorrow, he asked those closest to him to keep watch and pray.
Pain sears us. It can hollow us too. I know that when affliction comes upon me and I let it settle too long in my bones and blood, I relate to those closest to me in fear. I turn inward and focus on self-pity instead of on God’s purposes for the suffering. When I don’t ask God to search my inner spirit, suffering can turn me into a bitter, cynical, controlling woman. If I let that happen, I will be in an even worse place of pain than I already am.
Because it is so personal, suffering can tempt us to isolate ourselves. But when we cut ourselves off from others, especially the women in our lives, we are exactly where the enemy wants us. We must fight the urge to separate ourselves from others for too long. If we are to become safe havens for others in our lives, we must be willing to humble ourselves in the presence of God and ask those closest to us to seek the face of God for us.
That’s what Jesus did. I’m so thankful for his example in the garden of Gethsemane. He prayed to the Father because he knew his suffering wasn’t meaningless. He wanted his friends, the disciples, to fight alongside him in prayer. He didn’t deny the agony of his suffering. He was brutally honest in his cries to God and begged God to take the cup of suffering from him. But because of his deep love for us, he said, “Yet not as I will, but as you will.”
That’s exactly what we must do. We must plead with others to pray for us and with us. We pray on our own for those we love and who love us. We cry out for wisdom, knowing God will respond.
Our suffering and our lives are never wasted when they are surrendered to God, because he gives us pieces of gold along the way that we can share with others. But the process of getting to the other side—to wisdom’s gold—takes both our own prayers and the prayers of others.
*How do you respond to pain?
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About this Plan
Do younger women see you as a safe haven? This plan gives practical advice and encouragement for Christian women who want to develop deeper friendships with the younger women in their lives but don’t know where to start.
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