Help Me, Jesus! Devotions From Time Of GraceSample

Help me, Jesus, live with pain

But as for me, afflicted and in pain--may your salvation, God, protect me (Psalm 69:29).

Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world. Please do something about my pain. I don’t remember the last time I felt good. Oh, I wear a smile and try to act normal. Sometimes I disguise a limp. I’ve learned to push through pain to get things done and be part of activities. I’m no hero, Lord. I just have no choice, and I’m weary of it. I’ve been around those who preach the benefits of suffering; how it produces character and all that. But I suspect they haven’t suffered much or they wouldn’t be so glib. It’s like poverty. It seems quaint until you become poor. You’ve noticed I don’t pray much about it anymore because nothing seems to change. It’s there day after day. I’m sorry for talking to you like this. I know you are still at work in my life. But I’m very tired of pain.
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Jesus, you and I have something in common. It’s a cross. It’s a very rugged cross. You didn’t want yours, and I don’t like mine. But because you carried yours, I can live with mine. You went to your cross and turned suffering on its head. Grace was in your pain. Eternal life came out of your death. You made your cross my way of salvation. Now I ask you to make my cross a way for me to serve others. Use my pain to make me more compassionate. Use my pain to make me more sensitive to what others are going through. Use my pain to crucify any self-righteousness in me so that I can be accessible and trustworthy when someone needs my help. I guess I don’t need to be pain free, but I need to be able to endure it. Lord, if you’re not going to take my pain away, then please make good use of it.