Scripture Reference: –Psalm 18:2 – Psalm 34:18 – l Peter 5:10
“The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold”
“The LORD is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit”
“And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast”
Occasionally, you run into Christians who will tell you that they have lived their lives for the most part relatively pain free. I’m speaking more about physical pain rather than emotional pain. If you would have asked me 10 years ago, that would have been me.
I guess you could say I was very lucky growing up. I made it through 57 years and honestly don’t ever recall a day in the hospital, a broken bone, stitches, or any other serious sickness. I actually don’t believe in luck, but I do believe in the providence of God, and I thank him for all of those wonderful years of happiness and good health.
Advance the clock 57 years to March of 2014, where in the course of a single day, everything would change forever. (Editor's Note: Stroke! Central Pain Syndrome) I believe in the omniscience and foreknowledge of God. If you knew the daily details of what not just me, but my faithful and loving wife have been through, I think most people would not believe what I’m about to say. With all my heart and before God, I am stating the truth.
God Almighty knew what Gregg Harris needed in order to draw me into the kind of relationship that God had designed for one of His children. The Lord knew what He needed to do to get my attention. He granted me an affliction that today I know was the greatest gift he could ever bestow on one of His children.
He asked me to willingly accept and swallow that bitter pill of adversity and granted me an affliction that would at this point likely be with me until my last breath. I was beginning to get a glimpse of the meaning of God’s sovereignty and providence in my life.
March of 2014 was the beginning stages of God showing me that though I am weak, He is strong, and though I may have been seriously knocked down, – I wasn’t knocked out. Ten long and painful years of God showing me that it’s not only possible,but a reality that a believer can find purpose in his affliction, and in all the pain and suffering, there are deep lessons that can be discovered .
I could only find and learn those lessons by looking to the author and finisher of my faith, and striving everyday to accept my lot in life and to focus on how God was going to deepen and enrich my faith as He granted me an intimacy with Him that I had never known.
As hard as it may be, and as hard as it’s been for me soo many times, I’ve learned that no matter the level of your pain and suffering, – if you are a child of God, you can learn to embody “the secret jewel of Christian contentment,” finding contentment, peace and purpose with every new day.
Yes, I’ve had a lot of bad days, particularly where it took the doctors nearly six months to put a name to my condition. It has never happened since, but in those early months, I actually gave in to the “bad thought,” – something I never thought possible for a Harris, because I was tough and strong and could take anything. God dealt with those foolish thoughts rather quickly and showed me the only way I would get through whatever this disease was, – was to put my full hope, faith and trust in the Lord.
This is actually a fairly short devotional. My purpose tonight is not to focus on me, my disease and all the pain and suffering for these 10 years. I want to look at how I made it through to still be here today, and still able to do the work that I love, the work of prison ministry, to which I’ve been called.
The #1 factor that has allowed me to persevere all these years has been learning to make the Word of God the very bread and water to my soul. I’ve quoted Psalm 119:92 countless times and will here again, –this Psalm becoming one of my life verses. “Unless your Word had become my delight, I may have perished in my affliction.”
Follow that glorious verse by other companion verses, also in Psalm 119. “It is good that I was afflicted, that I may learn your statutes.” Read that again; what amazing truth. God in His providence chooses to tailor make an affliction for his children, in order to draw them to His Word. Too many Christians take God’s Word for granted,until it is the only place where they can find true solace and comfort.
Then there’s verse 67; – “Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I keep your Word.” Our Lord knows what He is doing when he chooses the rod of affliction for His children. One more verse in the same chapter. “I know, O Lord, that your judgments are righteous, and that in faithfulness you have afflicted me.” Psalm 118:75 All too often the Lord has to use the trials and trouble of life to bring us around to a deeper trust and dependance on Him.
#2 – God has taught me to bathe myself in Christian fellowship with Godly friends.
God only knows where I’d be without all of my friends who have been prayer warriors for the past ten years. The vast majority of all my friends in prison I will never be able to meet. Having said that, the bond of Christian fellowship has been profound, and their faithfulness in prayer has been humbling. Many serving life sentences, life without parole, or death row, and these champions of the faith have strong prayer lives, and let me know regularly that they and their prayer team lifts me up before the throne of grace regularly.
Never underestimate the value of true, godly friends. When you find one, hold on, and never let them go, for they are worth their weight in gold. We are in our last day of a nine day vacation to Bass Lake in the central valley of CA. I made it through and so looking forward to going back home. Our son Marshall has had a wonderful time at his camp, and we’ve had wonderful fellowship with our two daughters and family, one in Texas, and other here in CA.
Within the last hour I received phone calls from two prisoners who are strong in the Lord; one in Ft. Leavenworth, KS, and the other right here in Northern CA. What a joy to have friends who call, primarily for the purpose of seeing how I’m holding up.
The great Patriarch of the Old Testament, Job, was one of the greatest examples in Scripture of a man who was able to find purpose in pain. From the very beginning of his dreadful ordeal, Job could get no answers as to why he had to go through such an awful affliction. In the end he began to get a glimpse into the sovereignty and providence of God. Job finally broke down with a humble heart and declared, – “though you slay me, yet I will trust in Him.” That’s quite a statement considering everything he was called to endure.
Each of us need to lift up those friends, family members, whoever they may be, who this very day finds themselves struggling in their affliction. Be the best friend to them that you can possibly be; pray for them often; visit them if you're able; find little ways to bring comfort to them. Spend time with them in reading the word of God. Take them through the Psalms which will bring delight to anyone’s soul.
The real purpose of tonight’s devotional was to bring to you a series of verses from Scripture that have become companion verses to me for the past ten years. I’ve memorized them so that I can cry out these verses when my burning is at its worst, – those times when the devil is trying to get his foot in the door and keep me in a constant state of discouragement. I try to stay armored up and quote verses like these, as I know God hears, and he will be true to His Word. May these verses be a blessing to your soul.
I’m not normally one to cherry-pick verses from the Bible. I believe there is usually much more richness to be experienced in understanding entire passages and their context. I guess this is why I love preaching and teaching. I want people to experience those “aha” moments where a verse or a passage becomes more real and relevant to them than ever before.
However, there are definitely some verses that I keep logged in my memory bank—or hidden in my heart, if you will. These verses help me in times of distress and emotional unrest. These verses keep me focused on God’s promises rather than my problems. I would encourage you to also memorize these. Keep them close to you. Put them on your phone background screen. Write them on sticky notes and hang them on your mirror so you can see them first thing in the morning. I pray they encourage your heart and lift your head today!
Isaiah 30:20-21
And though the Lord give you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, yet your Teacher will not hide himself anymore, but your eyes shall see your Teacher. And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it,” when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left.
1 Peter 5:10
And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.
Psalm 34:18
The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.
Philippians 4:5-7
The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Romans 8:18
I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.
2 Cor 4:16-18
Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
Isaiah 43:2
When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.
James 1:2-4
Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
John 16:33
“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
Psalm 23:4
Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
Romans 8:28
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
1 Peter 1:6-7
In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.
James 1:12
Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.
Romans 5:3-5
Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.
Romans 8:26
In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.
Psalm 30:5
Weeping may stay for the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.
Ecclesiastes 3:1-4
There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance,
Galatians 6:9
Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.
2 Corinthians 1:3-4
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.
2 Chronicles 16:9
For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him.
Romans 8:1
Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,
Phil 1:6
being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus
.
Hosea 2:14-15
“Therefore I am now going to allure her; I will lead her into the wilderness and speak tenderly to her. There I will give her back her vineyards, and will make the Valley of Achor a door of hope. There she will respond as in the days of her youth, as in the day she came up out of Egypt.
Matthew 7:24-25
“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.
Final Thought – Finding Purpose In Your Pain
God has something for you to do and someone for you to be. And when unexpected pain surfaces in our lives, it’s actually an opportunity to become what he wants us to be, and to do what He’s calling us to do. To help you find purpose in your pain, ask yourself these questions:
How could the story of my pain offer hope to somebody else? Who needs to hear my story?
How has my pain changed my attitude toward others who are suffering?
What can I create or produce that would be a resource of hope for others?
How is my pain prompting me to make changes in how I live my life?
How is my pain prompting me to make my remaining days matter?
What is God saying to me in my pain? What would honor and glorify Him?
Will you discover and pursue God’s purpose that will outlast your pain? You can wallow in your pain for the rest of your life. Or, you can turn a crucial corner, and actually choose to use it for good. What will be your choice? Find purpose in your unexpected pain. Only then will you find meaning in your suffering.
From: Fight the Good Fight of Faith / Life Journal: By Gregg Harris
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