Romans 8:28 NLT - _"And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose."_
JESUS: HIS PAIN GAVE US ETERNAL SALVATION*
The greatest pain ever endured was not just a man's pain — it was the pain Jesus carried to give you and me free salvation.
Yes, the whips and the nails were brutal. But the deeper pain was the humiliation. The only begotten Son of God, divine in glory, was stripped, mocked, and treated like a criminal. That broke the Father's heart.
Isaiah 53:10 says, _"Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him; he hath put him to grief."_
That verse is hard to read. How could a loving Father be _pleased_ to see His Son bruised?
On the cross, Jesus cried out, _"Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani? — My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?"_ That cry did not come from the wounds on His body alone. It came from a deeper place — the pain of separation, of carrying the sin of the whole world alone.
He could have stopped it. He had the power to call legions of angels to rescue Him. He had the influence to silence His accusers in a moment. But Heaven was silent. Not because God was powerless, but because God was purposeful.
Why would God watch His own Son suffer and do nothing? One word: *Purpose.*
Eternal salvation.
Everything Jesus went through was not an accident, not because He was weak or poor or helpless. It was the will of God unfolding. He Himself knew He was born for this pain — pain with a global assignment.
That is why in Gethsemane He prayed, "Let this cup pass from me." He felt the weight. But then He surrendered: "Not my will, but thine be done."
> Hebrews 12:2 NKJV - _"Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."_
He saw beyond the cross to the joy — you and me, saved, restored, forgiven. Today we live in the benefit of that pain because Someone who loved us was willing to pay for it.
Your own pain may be self-inflicted, or it may have been caused by the enemy. God could have stopped it, but He didn't. Not because He doesn't love you, but because He wants to bring glory out of it. He wants you to discover _why_ you are in this season and what He wants to birth through it.
Many of us pray, "God, take this pain away." And sometimes He does. But many times, He doesn't remove it — He transforms it. He doesn't waste pain.
You may not agree with this, and that's okay. I came to this understanding both from Scripture and from my own life.
*Here is the truth: God never allows pain without attaching a purpose to it. When you understand this, you will stop asking "Why me?" and start asking "What for?"*
For that issue you have prayed about again and again, change your prayer today. Instead of "Why me, Lord?" ask, "Lord, what do you want to do through this? What for?" I pray that as you follow this series, you will find both healing and purpose in your pain.