DCRobertsson

“Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I keep Your word.” (Psalm 119:67)

Pain feels like the enemy. It pushes into the quiet places of life, demanding attention and disrupting the plans we had neatly arranged. Our natural instinct is to run from it, numb it, or find the fastest way out. Yet Scripture reveals a truth we rarely embrace at first—God can use pain to accomplish what comfort never could.

The psalmist admits, “Before I was afflicted I went astray.” It was the season of affliction that brought him back to God’s Word. Pain, in God’s hands, is not wasted. It can strip away our illusions of self-sufficiency, expose the idols we lean on, and drive us to the only One who truly satisfies.

This doesn’t mean that every hardship is directly sent by God as a corrective measure. We live in a fallen world where trials will come. But for the believer, God weaves even those trials into a purpose that is both loving and holy. He uses them to refine our faith (1 Peter 1:6–7), to produce endurance (Romans 5:3–4), and to prepare us for eternal glory far beyond the weight of the present struggle (2 Corinthians 4:17).

When we only see suffering as an interruption, we miss the invitation it carries—to know God more deeply and to be shaped into the likeness of His Son. Pain can become a meeting place with the Lord, a classroom of trust, and a stage for His sustaining grace.

So when the ache comes, instead of only asking for it to end, ask for eyes to see what God may be doing through it. His purposes reach beyond the moment, and His hands are never careless with His children.

Cross-References

• James 1:2–4 – Trials produce endurance and maturity.
• Romans 8:28–29 – God works all things for good, conforming us to Christ.
• Hebrews 12:10–11 – God’s discipline yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness.

Questions for Reflection

• How has God used a difficult season to draw you closer to Him?
• Which of His purposes in pain—refining, endurance, deeper trust—do you most see in your current season?
• What might it look like to trust His purposes even when they are still unseen?

Prayer Prompt

Lord, I don’t want to waste my pain. Use it to bring me closer to You, to make me more like Jesus, and to display Your grace in my life. Help me trust that You are at work, even when I can’t yet see the full picture.

This devotional is adapted from An Uninvited Visitor: The Suffering We All Face and God’s Grace In It by D.C. Robertsson. Available on Amazon: amazon.com/dp/B0FMPKM7ZF