Day 5: Your Pain is Your Platform
I once heard the phrase “Your pain will be your platform”. For years, I’ve also heard the saying “Your test will be your testimony”. I love catchy alliterations, but those statements are so much more than just fun, catchy sayings.
Throughout the Bible, we see people Jesus healed who went out and made a difference in their communities simply speaking out of what God did for them. There’s the Samaritan woman who, after a real encounter with Jesus, went out and told her entire town how she had been changed. Blind men, lepers and other countless stories of people who didn’t let the opportunity pass them by to proclaim the goodness of God. One of my favorite examples shows up in just two really simple verses. It’s about Peter’s mother in law. We don’t even know her name, but this is what happened to her:
“And when Jesus entered Peter’s house, he saw his mother-in-law lying sick with a fever. He touched her hand, and the fever left her, and she rose and began to serve him.” – Matthew 8:14-15 (ESV)
I don’t even know the name of this woman, but I do know this one thing – She didn’t let the opportunity to give back pass her by. You might be thinking “Well, when I see the answer to prayer, then I’ll do something.” You may even fall for the lie that you have nothing to say because your situation didn’t turn out the way you wanted it to. That’s the farthest thing from the truth.
God can take any situation and use it. I still haven’t seen the answer to my prayer and I’ve resolved not to ask God too many questions either. One day, I’ll stand before Him in heaven (along with a choir of babies) and I’ll get my answers. But while I’m here on earth, my prayer is that God would use our story as encouragement to others that He is still good. My prayer is that He wouldn’t just use my story, but that He would also use yours. Just like Peter’s mother-in-law, I know that God has come in and healed me. He has restored a very broken heart and because of that, I want to serve Him. He has been faithful to me when I didn’t know if I could be faithful back and like Isaiah says, He has exchanged my ashes for beauty.
You have a platform.
You have a sphere of influence that I don’t have. You never know how your faith will shape others. If you feel like you have nothing to give, that’s ok. I encourage you to keep showing up, fight to stay connected to the Word and learn to worship God in every season.
Verses:
“He always comes alongside us to comfort us in every suffering so that we can come alongside those who are in any painful trial. We can bring them this same comfort that God has poured out upon us.” (2 Corinthians 1:4 TPT)
“To all who mourn in Israel, he will give a crown of beauty for ashes, a joyous blessing instead of mourning, festive praise instead of despair. In their righteousness, they will be like great oaks that the Lord has planted for his own glory.” Isaiah 61:1-3 (NLT)
“And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.”- Romans 8:28 (NASB)