Most of you know, I went through a lot of pain last week

By Wednesday afternoon, I was feeling kind of sorry for myself and hoping for relief

Then I thought about all the pain others were going through

All those around me that I know had much worse pain that I was dealing with, yet they continue on

How about the Apostle Paul? He was shipwrecked 3 times and lost at sea for a day and night

He was stoned, scourged 5 times, beaten, scandalized, slandered and even bitten by a poisonous viper

Paul never left the path God put him on, and his focus and energy never wavered

So, is there something we can learn from the pain that comes in our lives?

First of all, we need to know that pain happens

We would like to think that God would allow those who know him to have less pain and suffering, but that isn’t the case

I read someone said “life starts with a swat to the bottom and goes downhill from there”

Those who serve God have pain too, in fact, we have already talked about some of Paul’s struggles

To top everything else off, Paul was given a thorn in the flesh that was straight from Hell

Our passage today says it was a messenger from Satan sent to torment him

Paul begged God 3 times to take away that pain, but God said “My grace is sufficient”

We know that pain is part of life, but do we ever look for purpose in our pain?

In our passage today, Paul says the thorn was given to keep him from exalting himself

Also think about Philippi, where Paul and Silas were beaten in public and locked up

After that happened, the message of Christ exploded in that city

Or maybe Ephesus, where Paul ministered for a long time and then, after a huge riot, was run out of the city

More people came to Christ in the aftermath of that riot than during the whole 2 years Paul preached there

While we are in the midst of Pain, it is hard to see a purpose, but we can trust God to have a purpose, and we should seek it

Not even Jesus was spared from pain, so, we should remember that pain also has power

In Paul’s pain, and his begging for relief, he received from God power

Paul determined at that point, he would rather be strong in Christ through pain, than in his own strength

We watch people who are in pain but work through it anyway with a great respect

A football player, who is hurting, but stays in the game to carry the team to victory

A soldier, who even injured, fights on to keep his platoon safe

How about Christ, who, while enduring the worst torture even before the cross, pressed on to finish the fight

These are things that inspire us to fight on through the pain

Pain happens, pain has a purpose, and pain has a power

One last thing to consider, Have you ever thought about how a pearl is made?

A pearl is made through great suffering to the oyster

The gem inside has great beauty and great value, all from the suffering of the oyster

We can be inspired by Paul, but it was the pain that Christ endured that gives us life

While we still endure some pain in this world, through Christ, we can be relieved of all pain when we get home

Are you certain of that fact in your life?