Jump Start # 4070
Psalm 69:29 “I am afflicted and in pain; my Your salvation, O God, set me securely on high.”
Today I hurt. I’ve been hurting for more than a month. It’s my fault and I know better, but that doesn’t make the pain any less. It’s a story, let me share it with you.
As many of our readers know, I’m moving to Noblesville, Indiana this summer when I retire. We found a house and nearly every weekend either I am going up there with a load of stuff or my wife comes down and we load up her car to go back. A while back I was lifting a heavy box of stuff up to a shelf above me. The box was heavy and there was no one around so I just heaved and huffed and put it where it belonged. The next day my back was hurting. There was still more to be done. I’ve boxed up nearly 50 boxes of books. Loaded them in a rental truck along with four bookcases. Drove straight through to Dallas to deliver them to my son, Jordan. Two days later, the two of us drove straight back to Indiana. A few days later, I moved six file cabinets and two more bookshelves to Goodwill. Then, I took a load up to our Noblesville home, and got 15 bags of mulch and spread it out. Last Monday, I drove up with another load, mowed the yard and drove home that evening.
Technically, my back doesn’t bother me. It’s my sciatic nerve that’s screaming at me. From my hip down my right leg, has been burning, tingling, throbbing and causing me to limp. One day it was so intense it brought me to tears. I’ve watched so many YouTube videos about what to do. I finally went to my doctor. Got pills and physical therapy scheduled, but the pain remains. On bad days, I can’t find any comfort. Sitting hurts. Standing hurts. Lying down hurts. And, I’ve finally listened to the preaching of my family that has been telling me, “You’ve got to stop lifting things.” I’ve had surgeries before. But nothing has hurt as intense and as long as this one for me. I’m still dealing with it.
Now, I share this with you, not so you’ll feel sorry for me, nor send me your homemade remedies, but to think about the Lord. In His seven statements on the cross, He never mentions the pain. He cries out that He is thirsty, but for hours upon hours our Lord suffered painfully. It began with scourging. Many never lived past that. Then thorns pressed on His head. Then punched in the face. Then the nails.
When my doc asked me my pain level, I told him some hours it’s zero, but then most mornings it’s 7, 8, or 9. What do you think the Lord’s pain level was? Likely 100. And, what Jesus felt was more than just intense, never ending physical pain. There was the emotional, mental and spiritual pain that He carried being the sacrifice for the world.
Both Matthew and Mark tell us that while on the cross Jesus was offered wine mixed with “gall.” Tasting it, He refused to drink it. The “gall” would be our pain pills. It was given to help deal with the pain. Jesus refused. He took all the pain. As intense as the pain was, Jesus endured it. The Scriptures teach us about the reason why Jesus died on the Cross. We see the prophecies fulfilled with His death on the cross. We see how His death and resurrection defeated Satan. We understand the sacrifice and the forgiveness that comes from the Cross. The Bible doesn’t tell us much about the pain aspect that Jesus endured. He “suffered” is about the extent that the Bible reveals about the pain of the cross.
My dear friend Aaron taught me years ago in a sermon he preached, “I may not know your pain, but I know pain.” Pain comes in many forms. For me, it’s a hurting sciatic. Others carry the pain of being divorced and the destroying of a home. Some carry the pain of having a prodigal who does not want to come home. Some are dealing with the pain of addictions, the shame of being arrested, or being an outcast from a congregation. Little Zacchaeus lived with the pain of being rejected because he was a tax collector. The Canaanite woman lived with the pain of having a daughter who was possessed by demons. Jairus lived with the pain of hearing the words that his young daughter had died. We may not understand each other’s pain, but we all, in our own way, have known pain.
The greatest pain has to be the sins in our lives that have separated us from God. Hopeless and helpless, we have tried to fix what we have broken. We have tried to hide the guilt and shame that follows our sins. Exhausted and not knowing what to do, we turn to our Savior. There we find love, forgiveness, hope and a new direction to follow. Staying with the Lord reshapes our character. It helps us avoid the mistakes that we’ve made in the past that led to sin. It strengthens our resolve and gives us a purpose. We belong to the Kingdom of Christ. His promises bring sunshine through the darkest storms.
Pain. It’s part of the world we live in. Christ tasted pain so we won’t have to face eternal pain. It’s amazing what a bum sciatic nerve leads you to learning about our Lord. I likely wouldn’t have thought about this. And, in this I am thankful that I hurt because it reminds me how much my Lord hurt for me.
Roger