Is pain preordained? Does God in His infinite wisdom will it so? Is as C.S. Lewis said, "Pain is God's megaphone to raise a deaf world."? Pain's origins can be found in a Garden, a paradise, where the first man and first woman were deceived by Lucifer in his legerdemain. Prior to tasting the Forbidden Fruit of Knowledge of Good and Evil, mankind had not known pain. Then with a taste, the deafing train of pain came, it blew its whistle and rolled into man's domain abruptly. From there it worked its brain, employing Cain to kill Abel, and leveling incredible amounts of suffering on humanity as Sin wielded pain as a chain and blade to shackle and stab mankind. Then the most remarkable thing happened, God became flesh, Jesus Christ, and bore the pain of world, took the Sin upon Himself and we in turn gained eternal life through Him. Sin was slain, but pain remains. Pain was an acolyte for villains, and in one act, one breath of agony, Christ turned it into mankind's greatest gain, man was ordained not guilty, forgiven, and priesthood when Jesus was torn in twain on the cross. A great exchange, pain became part of God's plan, as Jesus felt it and died in its domain. A connection forged, now man could approach God because Sin was drained by Blood of Christ, and pain became a connector; Man could feel close to God who had not only felt man's pain, without sin, but died for the great pain of all, Sin, separation from God's presence. Man was released from hidden chain, one that like serpent had ever soul enchained until Christ came, and did away with it through His blood, pain, and death on cross. Pain became part of God's way to gain us admittance into heaven, into His presence, and to be able to have loving and close relationship with Him as He always wanted, as good Father desires with a Good son.
Is Pain ordained? Maybe not in beginning, life was to be sustained in paradise where there was no pain. Alas, our ancestors Adam and Eve strained this plan, and God had to make a Way, Jesus, to get us back into paradise and most of all in His presence without fear, trepidation, and terror. God felt pain, the image of Christ on cross brings comfort, not only in that it is the visible reminder of the act of the LORD God dying to save sinners and give us eternal life, but it makes God reachable, touchable, tangible to a Creation that is wrestling in futility and pain. If God felt pain, then He can understand my pain, and intercede for it (Romans 8:34). We are promised by the Risen Christ, who after suffering great anguish and pain on cross, descended into hell after His death, and rose from dead on Third Day, that Day is coming when all pain will abstain from our lives forever, Christ Jesus will come on clouds of glory and wipe away all pain, "He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death' or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away." (Revelation 21:4). Until that day, pain is an ally, it makes mince meat of our indifference, it connects us to brothers and sisters in Christ, it compels us to love, and make precious the moments we are given, and most of all it presses us into Christ's arms, which have holes from his pain, and His love pours out on ours like blood stained rain.
Pain is protector. If our lives were void of pain, we might become proud and full of self interest, but pain, God's dutiful convert, and disciple, comes to us to rouse us as C.S. Lewis said, "from deafness," and to wake us up from our cold slumber of indifference and apathy. Pain shapes us, it carves us and leads us and marks us with visible and invisible stains. For us Christians see pain as gain, it opens our frigid hearts, and reminds us that only God the Trinity and People matter, it awakens in soul the compassion we've left cold like icicles, and the mercy we marooned on the island of hurt. When all is well, people seem certain, as if immortal, then the afterpain, and they find their world altered at lose of loved one, abuse in its various kinds, and being traumatized by great murrain of pain. It alters us, and yet it defines us in Christ. The unbeliever runs from pain, they think it will refrain the more they drink, eat, and do what is profane, but any day the curtain will come down on them and they will feel its power, and in their quest to assuage it, they will be more dominated by it. In contrast, we Christians know, perhaps first in a gnosis way, then in epiginosko way, that pain is part of being a saint. The cross is not a memorial monument, but a invisible beam we carry daily (Luke 9:23 ESV). Our Lord and God Jesus Christ told us pain was not only unavoidable, it was inevitable, "I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation (sorrows, trials, sufferings, persecutions, affliction, and distress). But take heart; I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33).
We do not serve an indifferent God who knows not our affliction. On the contrary, Christ has tasted our pain, and at level we shall not know physically and emotionally via Crucifixion. So when those who shake their first at God over their pain, and cry, "why?!" I say, be comforted, for God not only knows about your pain, He knows pain (epiginosko), and suffering was His ally, for through it He reconciled us to Himself, to the Father, and Holy Spirit, One God in Three Persons. Jesus Christ of Nazareth bore the pain of cross to spare us pain for eternity, and separation in this life. He has become door, His wounds our healing, and His forgiveness absolute for us who repent and believe in Him as Lord and Son of God (1 John 2:1-4). Pain was God's way to regain a close relationship with man, to break the strain of sin and its chains, and give us eternal life and ordain us, children of God, co-heirs, saints, a royal priesthood, and the Bride of Christ. Amen.
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