Dealing with pain is not easy. The older I get the more I understand getting up in the morning with something new hurting. Hands, elbows, and knees all take their turns letting me know they are there. Nothing gets our attention more quickly than pain. We immediately know where we are hurting. I was talking with a man yesterday who told me that he hurt all the time. When someone mentions pain, it brings back every memory of where we hurt or have hurt. There is nothing that wears on you like constantly being in pain. Often, when we are in those conditions, we think that nobody else has felt the way we are feeling. My scripture reading this morning says that Jesus knows our pain. He understands what we are going through and He alone gives us strength to get through. (Isaiah 53:3 He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised, and we held him in low esteem.) God is the source through which all healing take place, so He is the one we should look to for strength and healing. Even though we seek professional medical help, it is God who has given man the knowledge to treat conditions. If you are in pain today, I pray that you will feel the presence of God with you and know that you are not alone. Jesus was the only one who was left alone to suffer pain. He knows how you feel today and because of His suffering and love for us he would never let us face this alone. Thank you God for your presence in my pain. I can face today with you by my side. Pastor Don