WHY SO MUCH PAIN?

After seeing, “I Can Only Imagine,” the movie, my biggest question to my God:  Why so much pain? Why the children? This song was born of such much pain.  Here is the response I received:

Joyce Meyer-Look at her ministry. She was sexually abused by her father.  She grew out of unimaginable pain.

Kenneth Hagin– Look at his ministry.  He was the modern-day father of faith. He was a teenager on his death bed.  His faith grew out of so much unimaginable physical pain.

Kenneth and Gloria Copeland– Look at their ministry.  They dared to believe God at His word and the grew out of the unimaginable pain of poverty.

Abraham-Look at Abraham. He was the father of faith.  He grew out of the unimaginable pain of being childless at 100 years old.  Abraham dare to believe God. He is the father of many nations.

Mike Burnette-Look at Mike (our pastor).  He grew out of the unimaginable pain of being fatherless. His family was asked to leave a church from a pulpit.   He dared to believe God and look what God is doing now.

Again, I asked.  WHY SO MUCH PAIN?  My answer was Satan meant it for pain. Satan meant it for destruction.  He comes to “steal, kill and destroy.” (John 10:10) That is his plan.  However, I, I AM, the Lord, turned the pain for gain, for life abundantly.

The conversation between the Holy Spirit and I continued.  “Now, Tammy, I have a question for you.” I heard this in my spirit as loud as if Jesus had been sitting right beside me and asking.  The question:

“Has any one person ever endured more pain than Jesus? He was born to die an unimaginable death for you.”

My Bible says that his accusers, the religious of the day, spit in his face. They struck him with their fists. The slapped him with open hands. They tied him to a post and beat him unmercifully. The soldiers stripped him naked and dressed him up like a king and made so much fun of him. The crowned him with a crown of thorns. Come on, think how painful just a splinter is.  They spat in his face again. They took the reed and hit him in the head with the crown of thorn on.  When this group finished making fun of him, they ripped of the robe which had to be excruciating if the blood had begun to dry.  After parading him through the streets, the reached Golgotha and then they nailed him to the cross. They didn’t smooth out the wood of the cross, so all those splinters were poking into his open wounds, too.  However, then the most imaginable and painful thing happened to him.  Jesus took all our sins on Him.  He did nothing wrong, but he took all of this for me and for you.  Why would he take the unimaginable punishment that we deserved? Simply, he loves us.

Thank God he paid the painful price for us. He was tempted with every temptation we would ever encounter but chose to live sinless.  The best news is that he OVERCAME death and was resurrected.  His resurrection tells us, it’s paid, and you are free.

He endured the pain so that we may reign with Him.

All of God’s people that I mentioned above, died to their old selves and were resurrected to their new selves in Christ.  They got a second chance at the life God had always intended for them to live. They exchanged the unimaginable pain for an imaginable reign.  The chose to believe God. Enduring the pain is training for reigning.  If we endure, we shall also reign with Him. 2 Timothy 2:12

If you have experienced unimaginable pain, it is not God.  His plan for your life is better. Choose Jesus.  He died for me.  He died for you. He loves you and you are so very important to him. There is nothing that you have done that he will not forgive. He died for that very mistake.  He gave his life so that you could have life.  If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; Look, all things are new. (2 Corinthians 5:17)