I woke up Saturday with a backache. It was the kind of backache where any movement caused a lot of pain. Of course, as soon as I let Miss Molly out of the laundry room (where she sleeps at night), she wanted her treats and her milk. She expects both as soon as she wakes up and will walk around vocally demanding that I get it for her. She will barely wait until I get the coffee started. Saturday morning was a challenge. Treats in hand. Bowl of milk on the table. Now how to bend down and put them on her placemat on the floor and then get back up again!
I did it, but it sure wasn’t easy. Then I went scrounging for the ice pack and hopefully some relief. Pain. It debilitates, motivates, reminds, crushes, and warns. When physical pain hits, we search for relief in medications, therapy, treatments. When emotional pain arises, we often act out.
Saturday as I sat with my ice pack and hoped for relief, I thought about spiritual pain. Where do we find relief from spiritual pain? David dealt with that issue in Psalm 38. “For my iniquities have flooded over my head; they are a burden too heavy for me to bear.” [Christian Standard Bible v 4]
David’s distress in Psalm 38 is difficult to read … difficult because we have all been there. We’ve been consumed by the consequences of wrong actions. We’ve sorrowed over the pain we caused others and ourselves. We’ve at times felt like everyone saw the blackness in our own hearts and set themselves against us. Yet David, even during that distress, knew the solution to his pain. “I put my hope in You, LORD; You will answer, Lord my God.” [v 15]
The ice pack and maybe some heat will probably relieve my back pain. In August, 1973, Christ Jesus the Lord relieved my pain of soul and spirit. He “hurried to help me” when I turned to Him in my distress. [v 22]
