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I have arthritis. Sometimes the pain is severe and I can't walk very far, while on other days it is a bit better and I can get jobs done in the house or enjoy an outing to appreciate good weather and see the wonderful natural world God has created. Even when I have to rest on a seat, I have my eyes to see things around me, a nose to smell the flowers, ears to hear the various sounds of nature. I can write down my thoughts. I can sit quietly and think about God and His amazing gift of salvation and eternal life which is available to any of us, by believing in His Son. I am happy because Revelation chapter 21 verse 4 says "God will wipe all tears from their eyes. There will be no more death, no more grief or crying or pain". Imagine! Eternity in heaven with no arthritis ever again, all because Jesus Christ died on the cross for everyone... for ME. Believe in Him!
Pain and suffering came into the world through the disobedience of our ancestor Adam. Our bodies, which were designed to be perfect, were tainted ever after by sin, which meant that disease, decay and death would inevitably follow. When He was on earth, Jesus, the Son of God, travelled about healing people. Sometimes He healed with just a word, other times a touch, and if they had faith in Him the sick were made well. Matthew chapter 4 verse 23 says "Jesus went all over Galilee, teaching in the synagogues, preaching the Good News about the Kingdom, and healing people who had all kinds of disease and sickness". One of my favourites is about the woman who touched Jesus' cloak. Jesus was walking along with lots of excited people ("the people were crowding round Him from every side"). Read the rest in Luke chapter 8 verses 43 to 48.
Nowadays God uses the skills of many doctors, specialists and surgeons to help folk with their illnesses and infirmities, and they are clever, wonderful people, but unfortunately many kinds of suffering are with us in this life. There are personal emotional pains as well as physical ones. There is large-scale suffering from the trauma of wars. Jesus suffered for us. It's virtually impossible to imagine the agony of His crucifixion, bleeding as He took our sins in His own body, but He did this so that when we leave our earthly body we can be with Him for always in heaven, where He lives now in glory with His Father.
God always hears our prayers and can do miraculous works, but often we have to bear unpleasant things so that we can better empathise with and feel moved to help other people. James chapter 5 verse 11 says "the Lord is full of mercy and compassion" and we can trust Him to care for us on our "dark days" as well as our "bright" ones.
