Pain Relief

By Lauri Lemke Thompson

“When you lie down, you will not be afraid; when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet.”  Proverbs 3:24 (NIV).

I can’t sleep tonight. Let’s see, what’s the problem? Often, I experience foot pain. I have a great cream that relieves that. It numbs the pain enough so I can drift off. But no, that’s not the problem on this night.

Hurting knees? I’ve experienced that many times and most often a couple ibuprofen ease the pain enough so I can sleep. But my knees feel fine. Nor do I have a headache, stomach acid or gas pains. If I did, I have bottles labeled “Headache Relief”,” “Acid Relief” and “Gas Relief.”  

No, I finally admit to myself that my problem tonight is not physical. It’s with my heart and soul, and drugstores don’t offer a panacea for that. I’m hurt. I feel wounded. I’m sad. Certain parts of my life did not turn out at all the way I expected. I have prayed for some things for years and still do not see answers (though God has graciously answered many other prayers). Sometimes I’d be happy to even spy a chink in stubborn armor or a tiny light in a long tunnel. But nothing. My prayers on some heart pain seem to go nowhere.

No quick relief for the heart and soul. So no sleep comes. Finally I get up and open a Bible. I skim a few chapters, then flip to Psalms 103, which tells me in verses 13 and 14 that “As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him; for He knows how we are formed, He remembers that we are dust.” (NIV).

I remember too that in the book of John God’s Holy Spirit is called the Comforter, and now I can imagine God’s loving arms around me. Getting drowsy, I realize He’s healing my heart pain, and I feel less anxious. Now I can sleep.

Thank You, Lord. The peace I am experiencing clearly comes from You, and I rest in it. 

“Surely I have calmed and quieted my soul” the Bible says in Psalms 131:2. In my Bible, the heading added for this psalm is “Simple Trust in the Lord.” (NKJV). That’s it, isn’t it, simple trust?

Next time a troubled soul keeps you awake, let Him speak peace into you.

“God takes life’s broken pieces and gives us unbroken peace.”  Wilbert Donald Gough

A Wisconsin native, Lauri Lemke Thompson appreciates living in the lovely Ozark mountains in Branson, Missouri. She is active in Christian Women’s Connection (Stonecroft) and the Ozarks Chapter of the American Christian Writers. Her two books, Hitting Pause and Pressing Forward, are collections of her columns, articles and devotions. Her bimonthly column appears in the Branson Globe newspaper.