The Gift of Pain

The Bible tells us that our body has been fearfully and wonderfully made by God (Ps 139:14).  God has so constituted our body that should there be anything wrong with it, one of the most common signs to inform us is pain.  Headaches and stomaches are common examples to tell us to get our body attended to.  Either we have to take appropriate medication and/or lay off taking certain food or action for the time being.  There are people who suffer from an illness whereby they are unable to feel or have lost their sensation to pain.   Thankfully, these people are in the minority. 

Early in the year, my wife suffered excruciating pain at the onset of her menstrual cycle.  She went to see the general practitioner after enduring several periods cycle with pain.  The GP requested for an ultra scan and subsequently referred her to see a gynae for a more detailed examination.  The gynae's diagnosis was a 5cm cyst in one of the ovaries and endometriosis.  The intercessors were alerted to pray for her.  She was operated on through key hole surgery (laparoscopic) and is now resting well at home.  During the operation, another 3 cm cyst in the other ovary, which was not picked up by the scan, was also removed.  Praise God the biopsy showed that the cysts were non-malignant.   

My point is that pain often signals something is wrong with our body and we have to get it treated, otherwise something more sinister may occur.  That is the gift of pain God has in-built within our body system. My office colleague was sharing with us recently that she was referred to another dental specialist by her dentist to help determine the cause of pain in her tooth.  Through patient examination, the specialist was able to detect the cause of pain was due to a neighbouring decayed tooth which the dentist couldn't detect.  With the root cause identified, the specialist was able to rectify the problem.   

Certainly we can pray for our bodily aches and pain.  That should be the first course of action to take.  But subsequently, we also need to see a doctor to ascertain the extent of our condition, whether it has been healed or medical attention is needed.  We believe that God uses doctors to bring about healing as well.  The gynae who attended to my wife is a Christian who sees his calling as a doctor to help the lives of patients that come to him.  Outside his clinic was a prayer plaque given to him by his patient which goes like this:

A Physician’s Prayer

Lord, Thou Great Physician, I kneel before Thee

since every good and perfect gift come from Thee.

I pray:

Give skill to my hand, clear vision to my mind

kindness and sympathy to my heart.

Give me singleness of purpose,

strength to lift at least a part of the burden

of my suffering fellow men,

and a true realization of the rare privilege that is mine.

Take from my heart all guile and worldliness,

that with the simple faith of a child

I may rely on Thee.

Amen.

May God help us to be sensitive not only to our pain but the pain of people around us.  In such a situation, ask God to give us the wisdom and courage to take the right course of action.