God's Plan > Our Pain

Today I thought I’d just drop a note to share what’s been on my heart recently.  Short and simple reminders of truth are sometimes what we need the most.

  Lately I’ve been spending more time on Bible reading and digging deeper into many passages.  One passage I was studying this past week for my Old Testament class was Genesis 3, specifically the promise in verse 15.

  “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.” –Genesis 3:15, ESV.

  Those of you that are familiar with this passage know that this is God speaking to the serpent after sin entered the world, and this offspring that will bruise Satan’s head is Jesus Christ.  

  The following verses record God dealing out the consequences to Adam and Eve.

  “To the woman he said, “I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing; in pain you shall bring forth children.  Your desire shall be contrary to your husband, but he shall rule over you.”  And to Adam he said, “Because you have listed to the voice of your wife and have eaten of the tree of which I commanded you, ‘You shall not eat it,’ cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life; thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field.  By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” –Genesis 3:16-19, ESV (emphasis mine).

  Right away, we see that pain is a dominant characteristic of the new “normal.”  But what strikes me most is that even before God told Adam and Eve of the pain they would endure, He promised the coming of a Redeemer.

  Wow!  Even before the penalty was dished, God loved us so much that He promised a Savior.  The plan of salvation was evident from the fall.

  Pain is something we cannot escape, try as though we might, but greater than our pain is God’s plan.  He sent a Redeemer to save us from our sin, and promises eternal life in paradise for those that place their trust in Him.

  There’s no doubt that this coronavirus has taken a toll on so many of us.   It’s a tough time; there’s not just physical pain involved, but emotional pain as well.  If you are struggling today with pain, look to Jesus for comfort.  Be encouraged, knowing that God’s plan is greater than our pain!