Job 2:4 And Satan answered the Lord, and said, Skin for skin, yea, all that a man hath will he give for his life.

No one likes to suffer. Physical pain such as a back injury not only is painful but keeps you from feeling like a person of worth. You cannot bend, lift, twist or participate in normal activities, work or play.

Beyond pain, that loss of ability causes emotional distress. Suddenly you are thinking about self. It is difficult to think about others when we are suffering. It is difficult to have quiet time. It is difficult to hear that still small voice above one’s own crying.

This too the Lord understands. He suffered far worse than anything I’ve had to endure. His ability to think and care about others did not diminish in His suffering. While He was being nailed to the cross, He asked the Father to forgive His tormentors.

I am not the Christ. I gave up on trying to bring you a devotional Saturday because I was in pain. I tried to write about my pain, but in made no sense. How can you make sense out of pain? Once again I look back to what Jesus went through to be able to relate to us on human terms, to know suffering, to have compassion based on shared experience.

I will try and remember this when praying for others. Their suffering is not theirs alone. We have all been subjected to suffering and may our prayers be earnest and compassionate. Lord hear our prayers.