Pain is Good

“But it was the Lord’s good plan to crush Him and cause Him grief.” -Isaiah 53:10

Often we do not understand how a loving God can allow such atrocities to take place in our world. We see evil, we suffer from pain, grief and loss. We cry out for answers.

Romans 8:28 tells us that God works ALL things for good FOR THOSE WHO LOVE HIM and are called according to HIS purpose.

The Father saw our sin…the sin that the human race chose and chooses daily. Every day I battle to choose to listen to the Holy Spirit of God over my own desires. I often choose poorly. So, God sent Jesus…His beloved son…who is perfect and sinless. He is the only One who ever lived who did not deserve to suffer in any way, yet He took on the worst kind of suffering for those who hate God. God loves His enemies so much that He saw His plan to send His beloved Son to suffer beyond anything imaginable..to take on all sin of all mankind forever. The suffering of the pain of the cross was probably cake compared to that.

From a carnal perspective, this is a total injustice. Truly it is. But God is perfect and just. How can this be just? This is love in its purest form. God’s justice allowed for His perfect son to die in our place because justice had to be served and He did not want us to suffer. A price had to be paid for our sin in order for justice to take place. Jesus was the only one who could pay the price. If He chose not to, then He wouldn’t have been God and we would not have been given the opportunity to ever know God.

Because of the “injustice” of the cross, we all have the opportunity to receive grace and pardon. It’s God’s perfect love offering to all who will receive it. This is the “good” plan. This is how God means suffering for good. Our suffering is a small picture of God’s infinite mercy and grace. It is through pain and suffering that we were saved…and God still uses pain and suffering to save us every single day. We can praise Him in our sorrow because even though we don’t understand how it is possible that God can work it for good…the proof that He can is the cross. The proof is here in Isaiah 53:10. God’s plans are always for good. He does not allow anything that He will not use for His glory and those who love God will always benefit when God is glorified…even if we don’t see it until eternity.