Promises and Pain
The dilemma
For the Christian, Satan wants nothing more than to defeat us. He does this by messing with our minds. He’s crafty at making us question what God said. He started with Eve and has not stopped since. This devil instills thoughts into our minds: life isn’t fair; you shouldn’t have to endure this; if God really cared, He would take this trial away.
When a person endures suffering of any type, those are the things Satan throws at us. Somehow he convinces us that we “deserve” to have good health, no pain, and no suffering. He convinces us that the decisions our kids make should be good ones, that finances should not be a problem, and that relationships should be good – because after all, we “deserve” this.
We can succumb to those thoughts and let Satan win, or we can take a better approach. We can look for the promises in the pain.
The night watches
Nighttime brings the most questions, the greatest pain, and the deepest sorrow. That’s often when Satan comes – in the darkest of our nights. He masquerades as an angel of light, but he is not an angel, or light. Our God is the one who is Light. Scripture tells us there is no darkness in Him. When the night is dark around us, we must look to the promises of God instead of the shadows hovering in our lives. We can find Him in the night watches.
I’ve learned this again these past weeks, following a total knee replacement. I’m still trying to find a way to sleep at night that is comfortable. When the discomfort kept me awake, I looked for things to do. Reading was out of the question because I could not concentrate. I prayed, but it was hard to focus. Then I discovered music – and the words to the songs. I discovered the promises of God. Listening to the words and thinking them in my mind became a time of worship.
Morning promises
I remembered an aunt who told her daughter the day of heart surgery for her spouse, “If we do this right today, God can build character in us.” I decided I wanted to allow God to build character in me, like he did for my aunt Elva.
For hours at a time, I played Christian acapella hymns (because these are my favorite), and listened to the words. I focused on the promises of the words in these old (and some new) hymns. Focusing on the promises instead of the pain brought relief like none other. Pain killers can diminish the pain, but focusing on the promises changed my mindset.
I was amazed, again, at how many thoughts and phrases were taken directly from scripture. When you know the Word, you recognize the significance of the words of the songs. Before I knew it, I slipped into a deep sleep while music – and the promises of God – filled the room.
Four weeks after surgery, I’m still not sleeping through the night. Sometimes I’m up walking around the house, moving from recliner to sofa to bed. Yet, I now know what to do. Instead of feeling sorry for myself, grumbling or complaining to the quiet house, I settle in and listen to the promises of God.
Photo credits: pixabay.com
I grew up on acapella music, so that’s my go-to most days. If you’re interested in what I’ve been listening to more often than not, you can click here, here, or here. I also enjoy Sounds like Reign, and you can listen to them here. There are many others I’ve listened to, but when I’m in pain, these are my favorites.
