The Bible tells of valiant warriors.
Joshua 8:3
So Joshua rose with all the people of war to go up to Ai; and Joshua chose 30,000 men, valiant warriors, and sent them out at night.
The Hebrew word meaning valiant is chayil. It also means excellent, noble, as in the “wife of noble character.”
Proverbs 31:10
An excellent wife, who can find?
Let us remember all our valiant warriors—those who left to fight and those left behind to carry on.
This week’s topic started with Dale’s problem: how to pray for someone with chronic pain, “when you’ve prayed for a long time and healing doesn’t come.”
My final answer? You keep praying. Pray for healing, yes, but not just healing:
Let’s see what deep thinker and writer, C. S. Lewis, says about pain. He wrote a whole book on The Problem of Pain. Here’s just one thought:
“We are . . . a Divine work of art . . . with which He will not be satisfied until it has a certain character. Here again we come up against what I have called the ‘intolerable compliment’ . . . it is natural for us to wish that God had designed for us a less glorious and less arduous destiny; but then we are wishing not for more love but for less.”
Are you in pain?
Feel free to complain to God. You are in good company:
How long, Lord? Will you forget me forever?
(David – Psalm 13:1)
How long, Lord, must I call for help?
(Habakkuk 1:2)
How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?
(the souls of those who have been slain – Revelation 6:10)
Find comfort in Scripture. God doesn’t turn his back on complaints–even if he doesn’t immediately give the answer you want. Rest assured, he hears you. And he cares. 
Last week, my friend Dean asked me about pain, “when you’ve prayed for a long time and healing doesn’t come.” How would you answer?
Keep praying. God does care. Drugs may help.
Whether you are the one in pain or you are praying for a loved one in pain, first pray that the pain will be a highway to a closer relationship with God, not a wall that stands in the way of that relationship.
Miraculous healing, gradual recovery or continued pain–it’s the relationship with God that matters most.
James 1:2 (NIV)
Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds.
When trials come, Lord God, may my words, deeds and prayers work together for joy. Don’t let me be a stumbling block on your highway to holiness.
This week’s quote comes from a fictional character–out of Dale Cramer’s Though Mountains Fall:
“Life is good,” Miriam said, “but it’s never easy.”
Bless Miriam’s wisdom! And Dale’s.
Ever meet people who who think that a smooth path is proof positive that they are doing God’s will?
Careful study of the Bible shows that people who obey God run into trouble. Poor Joseph was sold into slavery and sent to prison. Paul was harassed, beaten and jailed.
Christ had the cross.
Philippians 2:8 (ESV)
. . . he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
