Devotional: Pain Turns to Joy

John 16:16-22 ‘“Whenever a woman is in labor she has pain, because her hour has come; but when she gives birth to the child, she no longer remembers the anguish because of the joy that a child has been born into the world” (John 16:21). Have you ever observed a woman giving birth to a child? As the mother labors to deliver her child she experiences great pain. The amazing thing is that as soon as the baby is delivered the pain is diminished and the mother smiles as she experiences the joy of holding her child. In the Gospel of John, Jesus is preparing His disciples for His return to the Father. He promises to send the Holy Spirit to comfort them in their suffering that they will experience as they take the message of the gospel to the world. Jesus encourages them to be like a woman with child who is about to give birth. Yes, they will suffer, but when Jesus returns for His church pain immediately turns to joy. They will wipe away all tears from their eyes. The old things will pass away and new things come. When we suffer for the name of Jesus, we will be misunderstood by the world. The world will find many faults in us. We will be accused of all sorts of evil. We cannot avoid this truth. However, we can rejoice knowing that just as the mother delivers her child, Jesus is coming back to deliver us from this world of pain and suffering. We rejoice in our suffering because of the hope that we have in Christ Jesus. Prayer: Our Father in heaven, we thank you for the life that we have in knowing Jesus. Give us the comfort that we need as we suffer for the cause of Jesus our Savior. Amen.