The Problem of Pain

The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in Spirit.
-Psalm 34:18

Beloved Kinney,

In his book The Problem of Pain, C.S. Lewis suggests that pain is often God’s way of
waking us up to himself. He says, “God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our
conscience, but shouts in our pains: it is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world.” (pg. 81)

When life is good and relatively pain-free, it is easy to forget God. But when suffering
hits, we’re forced to reckon with the sovereignty and goodness of God. Is he really in
control? Does he truly care? And our response to pain will be to press us into greater
dependence on him or push further away from him. God means for pain to be a means
of pressing in.

In particular, the pain of being stripped of our wants is God’s way of causing us to see
him as our greatest need. Lewis continues, “Everyone has noticed how hard it is to turn
our thoughts to God when everything is going well with us. We ‘have all we want’ is a
terrible saying when ‘all’ does not include God. We find God an interruption. As St.
Augustine says somewhere, “God wants to give us something, but cannot, because our
hands are full—there’s nowhere for Him to put it.” (pg. 84)

Remember, when you experience pain and loss, the Lord is doing something. He’s
molding you and shaping you to into the image of his Son, as painful as that can feel.
And he’s doing that by causing you to be in greater dependence upon him.

Pain is hard. But sometimes pain is necessary. Depend more on God through it.

Love,
Pastor Josh