Pain Did Not Stop His Purpose

There are some wounds that make you want to shut down. Pain can make you pull away, grow quiet, question everything, or wonder how God could possibly use you while you are hurting. Sometimes we assume that purpose begins again after the pain is over, after we have healed, after the situation has changed, after we finally feel strong enough to move forward. But when I look at Jesus on the cross, I see something different. 

Jesus was wounded, yet He was still giving grace. He had been mocked, beaten, rejected, falsely accused, and nailed to a cross. Yet in the middle of His suffering, He looked at the very people responsible for His pain and prayed, “Father, forgive them.” Those words are remarkable to me.

Jesus was not untouched by what was happening to Him. He felt the pain of the cross, yet suffering did not change who He was or keep Him from fulfilling why He had come. Even in those final hours, we see His purpose unfolding.

When the criminal beside Him asked to be remembered, Jesus gave him hope: “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise” (Luke 23:43). And when His earthly life was coming to an end, Jesus placed Himself completely in the Father’s hands: “Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit” (Luke 23:46). Forgiveness. Grace. Hope. Trust. All of this was happening from the cross.

That speaks deeply to me because there are times when I have thought I needed to have everything together before God could use me. I needed to be stronger, feel better, understand what had happened, or get completely beyond the difficult season. But life does not always work that way. Sometimes we are still healing while God is still using us.

This does not mean we ignore our wounds or pretend that something does not hurt. Jesus never taught us to deny pain. But the cross shows us that our most painful seasons do not place our lives beyond the reach of God’s purpose.

That is something someone needs to remember today. You may not be where you thought you would be. Something may have wounded you deeply. You may still have questions that have not been answered and places in your heart that are still healing. But God is not finished with you.

When I think about the cross, I realize that what appeared to be the darkest moment was actually the place where God was accomplishing something far greater than anyone standing there could see. What looked like defeat became redemption. What looked like an ending opened the way to new life. And what looked like unbearable suffering became the greatest demonstration of love the world has ever known.

That makes me look at my own painful seasons differently. I may not always understand what God is doing while I am going through them. I may only see the hurt, the disappointment, or what I have lost. But the cross reminds me that I cannot always judge what God is doing by what I see in the moment. Pain did not stop Christ’s purpose. And whatever I may be walking through, I can trust that pain does not have to have the final word in my story either.

God can still heal. God can still redeem. And somehow, even from the wounded places of our lives, grace can still emerge. Pain does not have to have the final word. God’s Grace can still bring purpose from wounded places.

Pearl's Prayer:

Father, when I am hurting, help me not to lose sight of You. Teach me to trust You with the places I do not understand and the wounds that are still healing. Thank You for the cross, where Jesus showed me the depth of Your love and the power of Your grace. Help me believe that even in difficult seasons, You are still working in my life. Amen.

I am The Vessel, God Is The Grace