Pain & Hurt

God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks to us in our labors, but screams at us in our pain.

In the first part of this century, a young boy was scarred for life by his parents as he grew up during World War 1 in Germany. His family had developed distorted priorities that left the boy emotionally alone and confused. He overheard his father talk about moving away one evening, and assumed that he would be abandoned. He decided then to toughen up and find refuge in things outside of love and family. The world suffered much from that decision — because that young boy was Adolph Hitler.

Psalm 119 is a song lyric on the priority of God’s Word. In verses 65-72, the psalmist zeroes in on the healing process of God’s Word when we face pain, hurt, and sorrow. Pain is seldom our welcomed friend, but it seems to come calling upon every single one of us at some point in our lives. So the issue is not whether or not we can avoid it. You and I simply cannot. The issue is: how will we respond to it when it arrives in our lives. In this text, the psalmist gives us “perspective on pain” in our lives:

1. God always deals with us rightly & fairly, v. 65
2. Meditation on His Word brings us discernment, v. 66
3. Pain & hurt are to be guideposts to intimacy with God, v. 67
4. God’s nature is only good, & all that He does is good, v. 68
5. We must forsake lies & buy into truth about ourselves, v. 69-70
6. Pain & hurt, though not fun, motivates us to find truth, v. 71
7. God’s Word is known as central in the healing process, v. 72

WHAT JESUS TAUGHT ABOUT PAIN . . .

Jesus Did Not Teach:
That pain is a punishment
That pain can always be blamed on our parents
That God causes suffering and pain
That God will never allow good people to suffer

Jesus Did Teach:
It is our response that enables us to grow from it
We must identify with Him, as the servant is not above his master
That it is normal while on earth
That it can be a blessing

My Time With God

Preparation Time
Psalm 119:67, “Before I was afflicted, I went astray . . .”

List 1 principle or truth God has taught you through pain in your:
Personal Life –
Family Life –
Church Life –
Business Life –
Other –

Waiting Time
During your waiting time, let God . . .

Love You.
“God, I need to feel Your love today, especially in the area of…”

Search You.
“God, You have my permission to reveal any bitter attitude or wrong motive in my life.”

Show You.
“God, is there anything that I need to know as I enter this day?”

Confession Time
Read Psalm 22:1 & 1 Kings 19:1-4

Confess areas that you have experienced hurt or sorrow and express your feelings honestly to God:

Bible Time
We can never pray out of God’s will when we pray God’s Word.
. . . Read Psalm 119:65-72 slowly a couple of times.
. . . Close your eyes & allow a main truth to surface in your heart.
. . . Pray the Scripture & allow God to minister to you.

Meditation Time
After praying the Scriptures, write down the thoughts that God has impressed upon your mind . . .

Intercession Time – Praying for Others
Begin this time with a prayer of blessing for the people of whom you will now intercede. Then, pray for any healing for pain that they may need in their life (James 5:16).

Name Request

Petition Time

How to Petition God Properly
Talk to Him about any needs you have for healing & comfort.
Be honest with God about your response to pain.
Pray “Thy Will Be Done.”

If you are facing pain & hurt right now . . .
1. Start by facing the facts (What’s happened? Don’t Rationalize.)
2. Forgive as much as can be forgiven (Hurt is legitimate, but expect release.)
3. Seek the healing of memories (God doesn’t want you to carry hurt.)
4. Find a caring community (Accountability or support group.)
5. Believe that God can be different. He is generous, forgiving, trustworthy, and truthful.

Prayer Requests

Application Time
The smallest obedient act is better than the greatest intention.

Q: What is the main thing that God has impressed on me today?

Q: What am I going to do about it?

Steps to Take in my Obedience to God This Week:

My Goal: To implement the above steps in the next 7 days.

Faith Time
Faith is our positive response to what God has said. Spend a few moments praying, through your eyes of faith. Tell God the positive things you see happening because of His goodness!

Praise & Thanksgiving Time

Praise God by recognizing WHO HE IS!
Thank God by recognizing WHAT HE HAS DONE!

This Week’s Memory Verse: Psalm 119:65-72

This Week’s Time Alone With God

Monday – This Lesson

Tuesday – Go back to the beginning of this study and review the 7 statements that the psalmist gives us as “perspective on pain” in our lives from our memory passage in Psalm 119, and answer the following questions:

Q: Which of those 7 statements do you embrace? In other words, which ones have you experienced most in your personal life?

Q: Which of those statements have you struggled with and why?

Q: Take some time, and write out a personal prayer that expresses to God the specific pain you’ve felt in your life, how you’ve responded to it, and what it has done to you, or for you, as a result.

Wednesday – Frequently, a struggle with depression can accompany emotional hurts. Notice how this happens to the prophet Elijah as you read 1 King’s 19:1-4.

We learn from Elijah that depression often:
1. Follows great excitement and victory
2. Produces feelings of loneliness
3. Causes mistaken views of life
4. Requires divine measures to end it

Notice how God deals with Elijah and depression…
1. God strengthened his hope (v. 5-8)
2. God caused him to face the issues squarely (v. 9-10)
3. God worked in a new and different way (v. 11-13)
4. God refused to let him sulk in the pit of “self” (v. 14-18)
5. God gave him clear instructions to get up and Go! (V. 15-18)

If necessary, allow God to walk you through the same process of understanding and response-ability to your own situation. If you are living free of depression right now, pray for someone else that you’ve observed is struggling with it.

Thursday – Again, go back to the beginning of this study and review WHAT JESUS TAUGHT ABOUT PAIN…

Reflect on those truths for a moment. Have you bought into any of the statements about pain that Jesus did not teach? Where do you think you have a distorted view of pain & hurt?

Now, take some time to both pray & write. What have been the God-given blessings you’ve received for having suffered through pain & hurt? Then rejoice in God’s providence!

Friday – Look again at Psalm 119:65-71.
Take some time just to meditate on this portion of Scripture. Write out what specifically God is saying to you through it today.

Again, at the beginning of the week, you were given some steps to take. If you are facing pain & hurt right now, God desires to heal you. Take whatever time you need to thoroughly walk through those steps again and meditate on them.