When Does the Pain Stop?

Have you even lost a friend or someone you really cared for?  Have you ever fell into temptation or failed in a test or trial of your faith?  Have you ever hurt someone or caused someone else to sin because of your actions?

Sadly, many Christians have experienced these things.  It really hurts when someone you thought loved and cared for you, no longer wants to be with you.  It really is painful when you were deceived into doing something you realized was contrary to the will of God.  It is really painful to think that your actions or your words caused someone else to sin.

We can also refer to this pain as a regret, being sorrowfully or being filled with shame and guilt.  We have to remind ourselves of the parable of the prodigal son when we sin and feel the pain of regret, sorrow, guilt and shame.

We have the privilege of confessing our sin and turning to our loving Father for forgiveness and restoration.

We can do that, but I have experienced and have heard others tell me that they still experience the pain of what has happened.  When you feel the pain of abandonment by someone you loved what can you do to relieve this ache deep in our inner most being?

Regrets, sorrows, guilt and shame all hurt.  What can we do to relieve this suffering?

First of all, like the prodigal son, we can admit our failures and this pain of abandonment and trust that God will forgive us. But what about the pain?

Isaiah 53: 4 “Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows…”

The Hebrew word for sorrows here is the word, makob, which means sorrow, pain and grief.  Even though Jesus did not sin, He was tempted to sin.  However Jesus did experience the pains, griefs and sorrows of loss, abandonment and betrayal. He overcame them by the spoken word of God.  He was led by the Holy Spirit, rather than by His flesh.

Jesus not only died for our sins, but according to Isaiah 53: 4, He bore and carried our sorrows; our sorrows, pain and griefs.  

The Hebrew word for borne is nasa, which means to lift, bear, to carry away, to erase and to take away.  It was the same thought used here when the priest would lay his hands upon the scape goat, placing the sins of the people upon the goat and releasing it into the wilderness to never be seen again.

I Peter 5: 6 – 7 tells us to humble ourselves and cast all our cares upon the Lord, because He cares for us.  I can tell you from experience that that sounds easier than it really is.  It definitely takes discipline to do this.

It is the memories that resurface the sorrows, the pains and the griefs.  It is overcoming the flesh, by speaking the Word of God over yourself, like Isaiah 53 and I Peter and it works.

Other people, situations and the devil will always bring up your past.  Here is where the humbling takes place.  Stop the feelings, even though sometimes we like to punish ourselves because of what happened.

Remember to cast those sorrows, pains and griefs upon the Lord.  Remind yourself that the Son of God died, bearing your sorrows, pains and griefs, so you would not have to bear them anymore.

Repentance involves being sorrowful about your mistakes or your inability to forgive someone who abandoned or hurt you.  However once you confess it, asking for forgiveness, remind yourself that your pains, sorrows and griefs were put upon our scapegoat, Jesus, to never be remembered again.

All this is a discipline and something that may have to be done over and over until your heart is healed.  Trust in the Lord and He will heal you.

- Pastor Jim