Wikipedia defines Pain as a distressing feeling often caused by intense or damaging stimuli. The International Association for the Study of Pain defines pain as “an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with, or resembling that associated with, actual or potential tissue damage.” In medical diagnosis, pain is regarded as a symptom of an underlying condition. We all experience pain, have different tolerance and deal with it differently. Pain can be physical suffering or discomfort caused by illness or injury. Pain can be caused by mental or physical trauma. Taking careful effort and great care or trouble can also be described as taking pains.
“Pain is an all-too-familiar problem and the most common reason that people see a physician. Unfortunately, alleviating pain isn’t always straightforward. At least 100 million adults in the United States suffer from chronic pain, according to the Institute of Medicine. The American Academy of Pain Medicine reports that chronic pain affects more Americans than diabetes, heart disease, and cancer combined.” (American Psychological Association gratefully acknowledges Daniel Bruns, n.d.)
How do you cope with physical pain, do you consider the mental pain around you, do you take pains in your works and mission?
“Except for Jesus Christ, no one in the Bible suffered more than Job. For months he endured intense affliction with open sores covering his entire body. His entire wealth and livelihood were wiped out in one afternoon. Simultaneously, Job suffered the loss of seven sons and three daughters. During his troubles, he remained stubbornly faithful to God, but surprisingly, Job is not even listed in the Hebrews Faith Hall of Fame.” (Fairchild, 2019)
Job 2:11-13 tells the story about Jobs friends. It states, “now when Job’s three friends heard of all this adversity that had come upon him, they came each one from his own place, Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite; and they made an appointment together to come to sympathize with him and comfort him. When they lifted up their eyes at a distance and did not recognize him, they raised their voices and wept. And each of them tore his robe and they threw dust over their heads toward the sky. Then they sat down on the ground with him for seven days and seven nights with no one speaking a word to him, for they saw that his pain was very great.” We all probably have friends that mean well but sometimes forget to be sensitive to the real issue at hand.
“Job’s friends thought he was suffering because of his own sin, but they were wrong. God called Job “blameless and upright” (Job 1:8 NASB). In your quest to know how evil can exist in a world ruled by a perfect, sovereign God, you can mark one thing off your list. Not all experiences with evil and suffering are caused by personal sin. God does not operate solely on terms of an eye for an eye.” (Johnson, 2015)
The first human reaction usually is wrong, we tend to think we are smarter than we are. Jobs friend Bildad suggested, “If you would seek God and implore the compassion of the Almighty if you are pure and upright, surely now He would rouse Himself for you and restore your righteous estate. (Job 8:1, 5–6 NASB) Bildad assumed that Job was not communicating with God. Jobs next friend Zophar told him, “If you would direct your heart right and spread out your hand to Him if iniquity is in your hand, put it far away, and do not let wickedness dwell in your tents;
“Then, indeed, you could lift up your face without moral defect, and you would be steadfast and not fear. (Job 11:1, 13–15 NASB) Zophar assumed Job was being punished for sins that he had committed. His third friend Eliphaz mistakenly suggested, “If you return to the Almighty, you will be restored; If you remove unrighteousness far from your tent, and place your gold in the dust, And the gold of Ophir among the stones of the brooks, then the Almighty will be your gold and choice silver to you. (Job 22:1, 23–25 NASB) Only God and Job knew the truth surrounding Jobs circumstances, but everyone thinks they know more than they do. “We sometimes think like this. We might ask: ‘What have I done to deserve this…?’ All Job’s friends thought like this. But they were all wrong. Job knows that he is innocent, no sin in his life deserves his great suffering. God may not bring it (suffering) into our lives. But he can make good use of it. He can make us much better people because of it. We should never think that suffering is a waste. It may sometimes seem to be so. But it is certainly not a waste. One last thing may help us here. We may have physical pain. There may be mental pain and despair. We may feel lonely in a spiritual way. Job cries out for a judge. He knows that God is completely fair. He knows that man’s need is very great.” (Brown, 2003)
So, what happened to Job? Job was taken on a tour of the world where he learned that God’s view of the world was immeasurable and his view was very inadequate. Job learned that all his worldly troubles will end once he puts his trust in God. God doesn’t explain our suffering, but He reminds Job that we live in a complex world and asks us to trust His character and wisdom. We can all learn that we need to keep our faith in God and allow him to do his will. All we can do is make things worse. Deuteronomy 28:1-68 states, “And if you faithfully obey the voice of the Lord your God, being careful to do all his commandments that I command you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth. And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you if you obey the voice of the Lord your God. Blessed shall you be in the city, and blessed shall you be in the field. Blessed shall be the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your ground and the fruit of your cattle, the increase of your herds and the young of your flock. Blessed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl.”
American Psychological Association gratefully acknowledges Daniel Bruns, P. a. (n.d.). American Psychological Association. Retrieved from Managing Chronic Pain: https://www.apa.org/topics/pain/management
Brown, R. (2003, 5). Their Problems and Ours. Retrieved from Study 1- Job – The Problem of Suffering: https://www.easyenglish.bible/problems/tpaou01-pbw.htm
Fairchild, M. (2019, 6 25). Learn Religion. Retrieved from Job: Faithful Bible Hero Despite Unimaginable Suffering: https://www.learnreligions.com/job-faithful-in-spite-of-suffering-4046418#:~:text=Except%20for%20Jesus%20Christ%2C%20no%20one%20in%20the,the%20loss%20of%20seven%20sons%20and%20three%20daughters.
Johnson, R. (2015, 5 14). Bible Study. Retrieved from Jobs Loos, Jobs Gain: Our Suffering, Our Pain: https://www.biblestudymagazine.com/bible-study-magazine-blog/2015/5/14/jobs-loss-jobs-gain-our-suffering-our-pain