Responding to Pain with Faith: A Biblical Perspective
Pain is an inevitable part of the human experience, whether it stems from physical suffering, emotional turmoil, or spiritual trials. The Bible offers timeless guidance on how to navigate pain with faith, resilience, and trust in God. Four key principles emerge from Scripture to guide believers in responding to pain: never forsaking God, maintaining integrity, acting on God’s will, and praying without ceasing. These principles, rooted in the Word, provide a framework for enduring suffering while remaining anchored in faith.
First, irrespective of our trials, we ought never forsake God, trusting that He never forsakes His people. Deuteronomy 31:6 declares, “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid… for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.” This promise assures us that God’s presence is constant, even in our darkest moments. Similarly, Hebrews 13:5 reinforces this truth: “…Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” When pain threatens to overwhelm, these verses remind us that God is our refuge. Clinging to Him, rather than turning away in bitterness, strengthens our faith and provides hope. Pain may obscure our view of God, but His faithfulness remains unwavering, a steady anchor through life’s storms. God is not the source of our pain, but He can use it for our growth (Rom 8:28).
Second, maintaining integrity in the face of pain is essential. Persecution, betrayal, or injustice can tempt us to retaliate or compromise our values, but Scripture teaches us to maintain a higher standard. Romans 12:17-19 instructs, “Do not repay anyone evil for evil… Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath.” Likewise, 1 Peter 3:9 urges, “Do not repay evil with evil… but with blessing.” Integrity means reflecting God’s character, even when wronged. By refusing to curse our enemies or seek vengeance, we demonstrate trust in God’s justice and exemplify His love. Proverbs 20:22 echoes this: “Do not say, ‘I’ll pay you back for this wrong!’ Wait for the Lord, and he will avenge you.” Integrity in pain glorifies God and guards our hearts against resentment. Christ could have called 12 legions of angels (Matt 26:53; 1Pet 2:23)
Third, acting on God’s will by doing good is a powerful response to suffering. Pain can lead to self-focus, but Scripture calls us to persevere in righteousness. Galatians 6:9 encourages, “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” James 4:17 adds, “If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them.” Doing good (whether through kindness, service, or forgiveness) aligns us with God’s purposes and transforms pain into opportunities for service. By acting in obedience, we reflect Christ’s example, who endured suffering to accomplish God’s redemptive plan.
Finally, prayer is the lifeline of a believer in pain. 1 Thessalonians 5:17 commands, “Pray continually.” Philippians 4:6 further instructs, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” Colossians 4:2 adds, “Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.” Prayer connects us to God’s strength, aligns our hearts with His will, and brings peace that surpasses understanding. In pain, persistent prayer becomes a conduit for God’s comfort.
Responding to pain with faith involves trusting God’s presence, upholding integrity, doing good, and praying without ceasing. These biblical principles anchor us in God’s truth, enabling us to endure suffering with hope and purpose. By clinging to Scripture, we find the strength to navigate pain while glorifying God.
agape
Borger church of Christ @ Franklin & Juniper 
Well first, you couldn’t prove the divine inspiration of the bible if your life depended on it. That’s probably a lot of the reason why many Christians eventually ask themselves why they ever felt the least bit “compelled” to always uphold “biblical truth” when their physical senses told them otherwise.
I say this after carefully examining what you call “bible inerrancy” and “fulfilled prophecy”, and concluding, usually on the side of the Jews, that you have misinterpreted the biblical statements that are such staples of typical apologetics. I’m prepared to defend the reasonableness of denying the Christian interpretation of Isaiah 7:14, Micah 5:2, etc.
Second, the grieving Christian, if they feel reality imposes too much on the bible, can use Calvinism to justify ignoring the bible verses you cited. Under Calvinism, there is no such thing as anybody deviating from god’s secret will. So if a Christian feels abandoned by god, it is theologically necessitated (under Calvinism) that god secretly willed for them to feel this way.
You will say Calvinism is wrong, but for how long will god permit the grieving Christian to investigate the differences between you and Calvinism, before god will start expecting them to notice which side is correct? 2 days? 20 years? If you cannot give a definitive answer, you forfeit the right to balk if the grieving Christian says they will need the next 10 years to investigate this crap. That leaves you without a basis for criticism if they then choose to stay open to the possibility of atheism for those 10 years.
And because Calvinists and non-Calvinists have been hurling the same bible verses at each other with no clear “winner” after 500 years, the grieving Christian is perfectly reasonable to assume this is not because one side’s scholars are too ignorant of hermeneutics. EVERYBODY is always quoting the Greek and examining the immediate and larger contexts of the verses in question. Instead, the grieving Christian would be reasonable to conclude these interpretive differences over the same texts have persisted for 500 years because the texts themselves are fatally ambiguous. The Christian must then decide how much she cares about a deity who “toys” with people like some Chinese philosopher whose advice to the townspeople does little more than cause the Province to erupt in civil war.
Can I possibly be reasonable to see the “stir up” of Isaiah 13:16-18 as a biblical author’s admission that god was the cause of pain to pregnant women that god had forced to endure abortion-by-sword?
Could I possibly be reasonable to see “Lord struck the child” as proving that god painfully tortured king David’s baby to death over a rather unnecessary 7 days?
Can I be reasonable to assume god intended to inflict trauma and pain on all the little kids and babies who drowned when god flooded the world in Genesis 7:21?
Could I possibly be reasonable to say god, by creating a hole in the ground, causing children and babies to fall into it, then closing the hole over them them, wants the readers to credit him with causing those babies significant trauma and pain by way of crushing to death and asphyxiation?
Sorry for the length of this response, but I have personal problems with Christians who think that by quoting the bible, they are infusing magic into the air. The bible agrees with me that its high ideology is unrealistic…because the only way you could possibly find it realistic is if you do what causes cultists to suddenly discover that their cult leader’s theology is true despite criticism….”be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind” (Romans 12:2). Well, “transformation by the renewing of the mind” is also descriptive of how the independent woman gets married and becomes convinced by her abusive husband that she “deserves” to be hit.
Yes, I save these responses of mine at a blog just in case they are “accidentally” deleted or never approved 🙂