"Hello, hello, hello --- is there anybody in there?" That is the opening verse to "Comfortably Numb" by Pink Floyd. I have listened to "Comfortably Numb" at least hundreds of times, maybe a thousand or more. It may be my all time favorite. Sadly, I know why. I've spent much of my life wanting to be numbed to all the pain there is in this sin cursed world. I tried to eliminate as much pain as I could. All too often that involved doing things that muted the pain for a while, but any pain I skipped seemed to be stored and amplified for consumption later. Still I longed for an end to pain.
Now I know that the end is near. Life is hard, then you die: Praise God! In this world we will have much trouble ,but take heart. This world and this life will soon pass away. We are promised a new heaven and a new earth, where there will be no more crying and no more pain. I long to be there, who wouldn't? But for now, I am here. God put me here. He knows that I hurt. He knows that some days seem interminable. He also knows what is best for me. He gives me what I need, and it often is not what I want.
It is easy to thank God for every moment of pleasure I have known. It is difficult to thank him for a single moment of pain. Yet my time on this earth is a gift. I can serve him and grow in him in ways that, apparently, are only possible here. Forgive me Lord. May your will be done.
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I am little qualified to comment on the issue of pain -- other than in childbirth, my acquaintance with pain has been both brief and rare. After reading your blog entry, however, I was prompted to suggest that you might listen to Dr. John MacArthur's series on pain, called "God's Purpose in Our Pain." I think it's broken down into five shorter segments on youtube. I listened to it recently, and was blessed anew by it. Mark and I used to attend MacArthur's church whenever possible when we lived in southern California, and we have some of his books and sermons. He might be considered "old school" by some, but he is solid, in my opinion. Anyway, I pass it on, for what it's worth. God bless you!
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