Pain is Real: Beauty for Ashes
In those silent, dark, midnight hours
of suffering and torment, we try to understand what it really means to bear
hemorrhaging wounds of our soul, wounds which no one can cure. If we belong to part of
humanity, we will have pain, struggles, agony, heart aches and sufferings ever
since the Fall of humanity in the Garden of Eden;(Ref. Gen. 3: 17-19).
Modern
education and the availability of different help during crisis, aids people to
come to growth and maturity through suffering. Pain of an individual, has to be dealt in a
holistic way: cognitively, relationally, personally, physically, theologically,
emotionally, and motivationally. How do we have a long-distance view of the
process of overcoming pain, despite the situation?
Strong's Greek: 3601. ὀδύνη (oduné) -- Pain, sorrow,
anguish
Greek 3601 denotes intense interior
pain—whether physical, emotional, or spiritual—usually translated “anguish,”
“sorrow,” or “torment.” It conveys more than momentary discomfort; it …[i]
Pain is an unpleasant feeling that is conveyed to the brain by sensory neurons. The discomfort signals actual or potential injury to the body. However, pain is more than a sensation, or the physical awareness of pain; it also includes perception, the subjective interpretation of the discomfort.[ii]
Where is our hope?
To appoint
unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of
joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they
might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified;
Isa. 61: 3.
For he shall
deliver the needy when he crieth; the poor also, and him that hath no helper. He
shall spare the poor and needy and shall save the souls of the needy; Psa. 72:12-13.
Having
said the above, many are broken and
destroyed through crisis. The metaphysical aspects of humanity the soul (mind,
will, intellect, emotions), is not fully understood by fallen humanity very
well. Sufferings of humanity, makes one question about their mortality; and
there is real appeal to question is there life after death or is that all?!
Personal
reflection: Pain comes to humanity in
different formats and colors. Deep pain can bring deep loneliness as well. I
remember the times when my heart aches: when my clients suffer in pain, oppression, violence, broken relationships, betrayal, deaths in the
family, illnesses with family members, children leaving at an younger age to a faraway country, and all
of these, does not sit well with my soul. When our souls, the intellectual
property endowed to mankind is in torment, the only source of comfort I gained
was limitless assurance from God’s word.
“All helpless ones are under the special
care of Zion’s compassionate King; let them hasten to put themselves in
fellowship with him. Let them look to him, for he is looking for them.” (Spurgeon)
He shall redeem their
soul from deceit and violence: and precious shall their blood be in his sight; Ps. 72: 14.
“The king is represented in Psalm 72:14 as taking on himself the office of Goel, or Kinsman-Redeemer, and
ransoming his subjects’ lives from ‘deceit and violence.’” (Maclaren)
“The pain of loneliness is one way in which he wants to get
our attention. We may be earnestly desiring to be obedient and holy. But we may
be missing the fact that it is here, where we happen to be at this moment and
not in another place or another time, that we may learn to love Him - here
where it seems He is not at work, where He seems obscure or frightening, where
He is not doing what we expected Him to do, where He is most absent. Here and
nowhere else is the appointed place. If faith does not got to work here, it
will not work at all.”
Elisabeth Elliot
He will save the souls of the needy: Poor and needy are those who are oppressed and
suffering. Oppression and violence are forms of slavery, that requires one to
be set free from and to be redeemed! This means God’s work will go beyond what was
taught of today in our educational system and world view.
Example: The
pain and the feelings of grief after losing someone or something of value: betrayal, hemorrhaging wounds, evil toxic tale about someone whom
they trusted, the pain of it can be intense and real. This is like crashing
something that was precious to us, and our hearts can truly break!
God often meets us in our pain. The will of God often is never what we expected to be exactly. When we look around the globe we see much woundedness among people. The only hope and assurance for a believer in Christ is often the finale, the end of it all. The hope and assurance at the end is going to be a lot better and much bigger!
We can be totally consumed
in the pain, but we have to remember that we are being held by His hands, in
His tender bosom of love as a mother holds her child tenderly, so that we find
hope and live in Him.
Linger with the Savior
A good tongue brings healing to
wounded consciences and sin-sick souls by comfort and assurance.
If I say, Surely the darkness
shall cover me; even the night shall be light about me. Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee; but the
night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to thee. For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered
me in my mother's womb;
Psa. 139: 11-13.
We
can name the hardships of this life,
caused by natural evil or by moral evil, and they are as nothing compared to
the rewards to come; because of God’s promises. Growth in maturity, through
trials seem to be like being in school trying to go to a higher level, and
often the reward is seen only after
life.
This is totally because of what God has
done through His Son, Jesus Christ, on the cross. Overcoming the intense pain
of the abuse is emotionally, physically, and mentally exhausting. It is almost
like climbing a mountain; it takes time, and it also involves blood, sweat, and
tears.
Times of sorrow happens to all
humanity and in Biblical days, when they mourn, they put ashes upon their head;
(Ref. 2 Sam. 13: 19). Good news is, God is able to replace the ashes with a beautiful crown. The word beauty has in mind a beautiful crown as head ornament,
which can reflect further beauty in place of their sorrow.
“I am very aware of the fact that pain is
necessary to all of us. In my own life, I think I can honestly say that out of
the deepest pain has come the strongest conviction of the presence of God and
the love of God. Have we the humility to thank our Father for the gift of pain?!!
Elisabeth Elliot
No matter how deep our sorrow . . . how intense our pain . . . Jesus is greater and our healer. Placing our hope in Him and resting in His promises frees us. He loves us. He cares for us. He will never leaves us nor forsakes us.
"So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most" (Heb 4:16).
There is new
hope for all of us in our darkness; because Jesus Christ the Light came into
the dark world. That Star twinkles brighter in our darkness! Gives us Beauty
for Ashes!
[i] Bible Hub https://biblehub.com › greek
https://www.bing.com/search?FORM=I657DF&PC=I657&q=Greek+word+fo
