THE PAIN OF RECOVERY

Hannah was in pain. She was a woman of a sorrowful spirit. She could not conceive; her husband’s other wife, Peninnah, constantly antagonized her. When she pours out her soul before God, Hannah finds help in a bad place. People think God will not work until the conditions are right, but Hannah’s story assures us that God does work even when conditions are counterintuitive.

On the way to God’s promise, you will have pain. There is no way around it; there will be pain. To have success, there will be pain. Pain is a part of the process that brings you into your unique destiny.

What America is experiencing right now is the pain of recovery. Healing only happens with pain. Pain indicates that healing is taking place. Healing hurts, for it is pain with a purpose. Pain is one of the midwives of purpose, and the pain of recovery is serving that purpose. With more than 200 years of pain in this country, healing will not happen overnight, nor without the pains that accompany recovery. We cannot heal without pain. We cannot drown out the history of this country and expect to heal without pain.

Have you ever experienced debilitating pain? Pain will lay you at the feet of Jesus. Pain will drive you into God’s presence. Pain makes you value being well. Pain means that it costs something to be you. You appreciate pain when you see the final result. Progress is painful, but in God’s presence you attain strength to endure the pain. At the feet of Jesus, you are reassured that God is working in it all.

Sometimes God sends real hurt to put things into perspective. Embrace it, because it will be the catalyst that ushers in healing and recovery.