A Prayer for Perseverance through Pain
Written and read by Lia Girard
Bible Reading:
“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” — James 1:2-4
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In the first chapter of the five-chapter Book of James, James opens with hearty encouragement to the 12 scattered tribes of Jerusalem. To these first Christians, in the thick of persecution, James offers a bold perspective on their trials. He asks them to consider them pure joy.
When James, half-brother of Jesus, wrote this epistle, which was one of the earliest New Testament letters, Christians were being driven into poverty and hunger. While they’re grappling to survive, James adjusts their focus to what faith can produce. He knew that going through pain or hardship can forge compassion for others, humility, and the realization that earthly experiences are temporary. The book of James is relatively short, but it’s also a very practical guide full of memorable commands for real, daily struggles.
I’ve tucked this bit of scripture away in my heart and found it useful recently while recovering from knee surgeries. Believe me, it helps to think positively while surgery isn’t healing like I thought it would. I walk differently now, and my body aches pretty much all the time. Yet in the grand scheme of trials, a post-injury arthritic knee is nothing. However, the pain has persisted for years, and the frustration is real.
Chronic pain is just one of many trials that can test our faith. We wonder: when there’s pain of any kind, is God really our savior, our healer, our strength? Which is why the trial at hand is ultimately for our good. It builds in us a tenacity to keep pursuing God’s plan for us. To stay in prayer with Him about the direction of our lives, and to essentially “see what we’re made of.”
There’s a kind of wise maturity that develops over time through trials, when you start to learn you’re not indestructible. You can choose to believe that, despite your current condition, you are still within God’s plan. So you persist in finding treatment, therapy, guidance, or whatever will carry you through your current trial, as you hold fast to your faith that God works all things for good.
Pain tends to push us toward, rather than away from God, heightening our awareness that we need a higher power, always. Surrendering whatever life throws you, in prayer and petition to God, can relieve you from having to have it all figured out. And that kind of faith—that encourages hope through pain—is truly a remarkable joy. It’s not a fleeting happiness, but a deep-seated comfort that comes from realizing it’s not all up to you. That Christ did indeed promise trouble in this world, but as you persevere, you invite God to complete you.
Recently, I listened to a podcast interview with a man who couldn’t find pain relief for years after a traumatic surfing incident. So he decided to become a neurological doctor to find his own cure. A large part of his discovery was that our brains have an awesome capacity to make decisions about pain and healing. He noticed that when his son made him laugh during his grueling physical therapy exercises, he felt no pain. This showed him that where we put our focus matters greatly when we are in pain.
For Christians, this means we can set our minds on a joy that eclipses all our trials. And in the process, we gain wisdom about ourselves as we grow in maturity. In time, you realize that the promises you keep as a Christian are always more powerful than any pain.
Let’s pray.
Dear God,
You see the trial I’m in. Help me shift my focus from my pain to the joy I have in knowing who you are. Show me how to take care of myself during this trial, and grow in me the qualities I need to mature in my faith. Fill me with your peace so that I can freely trust that you know the outcome and that I am always in your loving hands.
Thank you, Lord. Amen.
Discuss today’s devotional with others in the Your Daily Prayer thread on the Crosswalk Forum.
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