Isaiah 53:1-6 – “Who has believed our message? And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed? 2 For He grew up before Him like a tender shoot, And like a root out of parched ground; He has no stately form or majesty That we should look upon Him, Nor appearance that we should be attracted to Him. 3 He was despised and forsaken of men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and like one from whom men hide their face He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.  4 Surely our griefs He Himself bore, and our sorrows He carried; yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, Smitten of God, and afflicted.  5 But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, and by His scourging we are healed.  6 All of us like sheep have gone astray, Each of us has turned to his own way; But the LORD has caused the iniquity of us all to fall on Him.” NASB

Revelation 21:3-4 – “”Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, 4 and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.”  NASB

We have considered two of the four categories of PAIN the Physical and the Emotional.  Now I would like to consider the other two and hope that these brief words will become catalyst launching you into your own discovery of remedies in God for your pain or that of someone you know and love.

Mental Pain is so closely akin to Emotional Pain that it is difficult to differentiate and separate and may be the old ‘chicken’ and ‘egg’ argument.  Does emotional pain cause mental pain or vice versa or both?  There is no question that they are closely linked and virtually inseparable. 

Mental pain could logically fall into two categories:  The thoughts and sanity or lack thereof.  The pain referred to is from the troubling or tormenting thoughts which refuse to dissipate.  They are present night and day, 24/7, and may be the result of guilt, shame, anger, resentment, or wounds.

Tragically the one suffering, in this case, plays the video over and over in their minds and continually debates with themselves – “Could I, should I, would I???”  It is as we allow thoughts to conjure up scenarios that are beyond reason and so twist our psyche that we reach an emotional and mental state where rational thought is impossible.  The pain that results is one of the most diabolical that a person can experience.  If this state is allowed to continue long term the individual will become emotionally and mentally paralyzed unable to enjoy even a semblance of a normal life.  The paranoia will become so acute spiraling into phobias and rendering the individual a danger to themselves and others.  This is a horrendous torturous prison and ONLY GOD can relieve one from those chains.

We now come to Spiritual Pain and I see this very differently from the other three although often very closely connected to the Emotional and Mental.  Spiritual pain comes almost directly from Guilt, a Lack of Purpose, and being void of a Sense of Worth! The person has believed The Lie of the devil that God does not value them, love them, or care about them.  When I view the Cross, I find it impossible to not understand that God values me greatly as He does you. 

John 3:16 makes it virtually impossible to miss that truth.  Still, the human mind will follow human reason and come up with a myriad of explanations and justifications as to why God should not or could not love them.  Before my conversion, I was one of those and had the list of why God could not or should not love me. I was under conviction and miserable but convinced that I could not be forgiven.  Thank God He used some loving and praying people to penetrate that wall.  Proverbs 3:5-6 was the catalyst that opened my eyes and opened the door to forgiveness and freedom from my Prison of Pain Spiritually. 

If you have physical pain, I do not suggest that you fail to get a proper diagnosis and treatment.  If your pain is emotional, mental, or spiritual I believe fully that there is a definitive answer for you in God’s Word. I also believe that about the physical but the spiritual has eternal consequences. God wants to free you from Pain’s Prison and allow you to walk into the light of the Fullness of His Love, Light, and Glory.

God bless you as you go through your day!