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That it may please thee to preserve, and provide for, all women in childbirth, young children and orphans, the widowed, and all whose homes are broken or torn by strife, We beseech thee to hear us, good Lord. That it may please thee to visit the lonely; to strengthen all who suffer in mind, body, and spirit; and to comfort with thy presence those who are failing and infirm, We beseech thee to hear us, good Lord.

Psalm 139:13-16 NIV
“For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.”

This prayer is for those who are going through pain, trauma or suffering. So, I have a guest writer today, Rebecca Parsons is a freshman at the University of Tennessee. She loves to dance, looks forward to school breaks and snow days, drives a truck and knows a bit about the subject of suffering:

Throughout my life, I have always found comfort in Psalm 139 when I’ve experienced feelings of insecurity, fear, and doubt. The idea that nothing about me and my life is a mistake and is, in fact, perfectly planned to be the way it is always brings me relief. Although, I always thought about this verse when considering vain insecurities such as how I look.

These past two years I’ve found new meaning in these verses. A little backstory: January 2021, I learned that I had developmental/congenital bilateral hip dysplasia. That means my hip sockets did not fully cover my femur bones. This deformity in my hip turned out to be the main culprit behind several years of my dealing with chronic hip pain.

In October 2021, I ended up getting a Periacetabular Osteotomy done on my right hip to prevent the problem from getting worse. A Periacetabular Osteotomy is a surgery where the surgeon goes into the patient’s dysplastic hip and cuts in in three different places and then shifts the hip bone over the femur so that it has full coverage. This is to prevent the tissue in the patient’s hip socket from wearing away too quickly, resulting in premature arthritis.

Recovery for this surgery typically takes about a year, sometimes two. As you can imagine, the fifteen year old dancer me was not thrilled that this was something I had to go through, especially at an age where normally I would be in great health and ability. Anyway, I remember coming across Psalm 139 again a little after discovering I needed surgery. It helped me see that not only were my appearances on the outside perfectly planned, but so was every little unique thing about the inner workings of my body, even deformed hips. The verse “Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be,” really took on a new kind of meaning for me when I had experienced having an ‘unformed/deformed’ body. What’s interesting to me about this Psalm is that the author is praising the Lord.

For myself, I find that it is often easier to be upset and bitter about pain in my life than to be joyful about it. The past six years the physical pain I had been in has led me to question how this experience could ever really be something to rejoice over. However, if God can take Jesus’ death, the ultimate pain, and turn it into salvation for all humankind, who am I to say God can’t use my pain for something beautiful?

At the end of the day and the end of all my suffering, I have to remember that I don’t have all the answers. I don’t completely see the purpose of a lot of my experiences in my life. Also, there is this truth: my experiences may not even always be about me, but may be about my experience affecting someone else. Even so, I have faith that everything has a purpose. Gods’ work is wonderful and I am coming to know that more fully now. I am now dancing again, and for the most part the suffering is a distant memory. God’s loving presence however, has always been constant.

Peace,

Rebecca Parsons

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From Phil:

Pain and suffering when redeemed by Jesus teaches us more than when it is simply removed or temporarily relieved. Jesus transforms the experience into a lasting testimony of His love, His mercy, and Presence; mere relief is all too often only a temporary experience, where nothing is learned or gained. Therefore, pray that our suffering is transformed alongside our requests for relief so that we may experience the Holy Presence of our Lord.

Peace,

Phil Parsons