Clothesline 262 "When pain persists"

Pain. We are all familiar with that word, aren’t we… some more than others. There’s everything from muscle aches to bone hurts, headaches to arthritis, broken hearts to crushed spirits. And we do everything we can to alleviate the pain. But what do we do when the pain won’t go away, no matter what drug we take?

Luke’s Gospel tells us the story of a woman who has been in pain for eighteen years. We don’t know exactly what the cause of her pain is, but that really doesn’t matter. Eighteen years she’s been coming to the synagogue on the Sabbath, praying for relief. And on this particular day, Jesus is there. Did Jesus know why she was there? Of course he did! And did he wait for her to ask for healing? Absolutely not! Luke tells us she doesn’t ask, and Jesus simply heals her. Some onlookers praise God; the Pharisees are furious that Jesus healed on the Sabbath. Jesus rebukes them with an example they couldn’t possibly misunderstand, and they go away defeated.

But I want us to back up to the woman before she was healed. Notwithstanding her pain, her faith must have been intact or she would never have come to the synagogue to pray. She’s bent over, crooked, unable to look up at what’s around her. She’s not only been in pain for eighteen years, but she’s been marginalized for the same length of time. In those days being a woman was enough to make one invisible, but a woman who was useless, was even worse. How would you handle eighteen years of being dismissed, ignored, left out of everything, and—on top of that—your prayers for healing go unanswered? Truth be told, on any given day—you are that woman…I am that woman!

My first take-away in this terrible situation is that God’s timing isn’t ours. We go through difficult situations, sometimes longer than we would like, and those situations make us stronger, knowing that we go through everything in life with Jesus by our side.

My next thought—and this is a blessing—God sees what the world doesn’t. The world looks at the outside; God looks within. And within us is the Holy Spirit, giving us the strength we need to face each day, whatever cross we might have to bear.

And one other thing…whatever we’ve been through, Jesus has already been there. We tend to think of God as so high above us, so awesome in power, that he couldn’t possibly understand our pain, whatever it might be. But we forget…Jesus was a man who experienced and endured everything any person has experienced! That was part of the plan, to experience humanity in its fullness—but without sin. We would do well to remember that. Whatever we’ve experienced, Jesus has been there!

I’d like to think my faith is as strong as that crippled woman, and I pray every day that I remember the One who walks beside me through every moment of my day. With that knowledge, we can go through anything! You are loved and cherished above all else. Start every day with that knowledge and nothing can harm you.