No one likes to talk about pain. Still, there’s no getting around the fact that each us of experiences pain. The question of what pain is, whether it truly exists, and what we do about it, is central to every religion. The answers that Christianity gives to the questions about pain uniquely help us live out a vision of life where pain can be endured and even redeemed.
Here are some inspiring quotes about pain to carry you through your current ordeal.
5 Quotes from the Bible about Pain
From the story of God sending Adam and Eve out of Eden to the cosmic battles of Revelation, the Bible affirms that pain and conflict exist. However, it also tells us that in our most painful moments, our Father in Heaven is there for us.
1. “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit” (Psalms 34:18).
2. “He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away” (Revelation 21:4).
3. “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds” (Psalms 147:3).
4. “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God” (2 Corinthians 1:3-4).
5. “I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us” (Romans 8:18).
Further Reading: 12 Bible Verses about Pain
5 Quotes about the Reality of Pain
It’s tempting to downplay how much pain there is in the world, but the Bible affirms that pain truly exists. Before we can consider the problem of pain, we must recognize that pain truly exists.
1. “All people, whether Christian or not, must be prepared to live a life of discomfort.” — C.S. Lewis
2. “We live in a broken, fallen world with broken, fallen people who do broken, fallen things. I do broken, fallen things. You do broken, fallen things. Multiply that brokenness and fallenness by eight billion people and you have a massive, incalculable amount of pain and heartache that can have a powerful, humbling effect on us.” — Ben Young
3. “An honest book about Jesus that does not address suffering is not an honest book.” — John Eldredge,
4. “The real problem is not why some pious, humble, believing people suffer, but why some do not.” ― C.S. Lewis
5. “It is not simply to be taken for granted that the Christian has the privilege of living among other Christians. Jesus Christ lived in the midst of his enemies.” — Dietrich Bonhoeffer
Further Reading: 10 Things You Should Know about Dietrich Bonhoeffer
5 Quotes about God Being There in the Pain
Once we have recognized pain is a reality that we all live with, we can remember that God is not just there to rescue us from our pain: he is also there in the midst of our pain, helping us walk through it.
1. “God finds ways to penetrate the darkness and ways to love and honor that we would never expect.” — Randall Wallace
2. “… I am more convinced than ever that healing is not about walking over the chasm of suffering or grief but about finding the faith to believe that we can sink into sorrow, plunge into the abyss, reckon with what is true, and find God there, weeping with us. It is only there that we will find freedom, play, gratitude, and joy.” — Cathy Loerzel
3. “Give thanks to God that He is there, no matter what is happening.” — Oswald Chambers
4. “I believe that God will give us all the strength we need to help us to resist in all time of distress. But he never gives it in advance, lest we should rely on ourselves and not on him alone.” — Dietrich Bonhoeffer
5. “By inviting God into our difficulties, we ground life—even its sad moments—in joy and hope. When we stop grasping our lives, we can finally be given more than we could ever grab for ourselves. And we learn the way to a deeper love for others.” — Henri Nouwen
Further Reading: 25 Inspiring Henri Nouwen Quotes
5 Quotes about Growing Through Our Pain
While it would be simplistic to assume all the pain in the world is designed by God to teach us a special lesson, pain does create situations where we mature and grow.
1. “New sorrows teach new courage. Time makes the bitterest pain to ‘blossom like Aaron’s rod with flowers.’” — Helen Keller
2. “Let’s face it: we learn from the mistakes we make and the suffering they bring. The universe is a soul-making machine, and part of that process is learning, maturing, and growing through difficult and challenging and painful experiences. The point of our lives in this world isn't comfort, but training and preparation for eternity. Scripture tells us that even Jesus ‘learned obedience through suffering’—and if that was true for him, why wouldn’t it be even more true for us?” — Peter Kreeft
3. “A gracious spirit is raised by opposition—the more opposition it meets with in a way of duty, the more resolute he is for it.” — Thomas Brooks
4. “When God gets us alone through suffering, heartbreak, temptation, disappointment, sickness, or by thwarted friendship—when He gets us absolutely alone, and we are totally speechless, unable to ask even one question, then He begins to teach us.” — Oswald Chambers
5. “A happy life consists not in the absence, but in the mastery of hardships.” — Helen Keller
Further Reading: 30 Inspiring John Wesley Quotes
5 Quotes about the Christian View of Pain
While pain is a universal human experience, being Christians gives us a particular perspective on pain. As Christians we learn that pain is not only to be expected, but something we will grow from as we lean into God’s strength.
1. “It is impossible to accept Christianity for the sake of finding comfort: but the Christian tries to lay himself open to the will of God, to do what God wants him to do.” — C.S. Lewis
2. “Risk is real. The Christian life is a painful life. Not joyless. But not painless either.” — John Piper
3. “You don’t know in advance whether God is going to set you to do something difficult or painful, or something that you will quite like; and some people of heroic mold are disappointed when the job doled out to them turns out to be something quite nice. But you must be prepared for the unpleasant things and the discomforts.” — C.S. Lewis
4. “The moon will run her course though the dogs bark at it; so does the traveler, and so will the faithful messengers of the Lord hold on in their way and work, let men and devils bark and do their worst.” —Thomas Brooks
5. “Often, we endure trials seeking God's deliverance from them. Suffering is painful for us to endure or to see those we love endure. While our instinct is to flee trials, remember that even in the midst of suffering, God's will is being done.” — Paul Chappell
Further Reading: 25 Spiritual Growth Quotes
5 Quotes about Looking Past the Current Pain
While we should expect pain in life, part of the way we endure and grow from pain is by remembering that God (or as Inklings Charles Williams liked to call him, “the Omnipotence”) carries us through pain and there is something better beyond the current moment of pain.
1. “When one door of happiness closes, another opens; but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one which has been opened for us.” — Helen Keller
2. “Life may be kicking you around right now. You may wonder if your fortunes will improve. I’m telling you that you can’t even imagine the good that awaits you if you refuse to give up. Stay focused on your dream. Do whatever it takes to stay in the chase. You have the power to change your circumstances. Go after whatever you desire.” — Nick Vujicic
3. “‘Tomorrow!’ What possibilities there are in that word. No matter how discouraging today, how gloomy with dark clouds, with terrors and illness and death, there’s always Tomorrow, with its promise of better things. Let us think then of Death as but one more tomorrow, filled with infinite promise and fulfillment.” — Helen Keller
4. “Two or three times in my life I have felt I should really go off my head; did I? No; and (beyond all my beliefs) the result is greater than anything. Adored always be the Omnipotence.” — Charles Williams
5. “Each day holds a surprise. But only if we expect it can we see, hear, or feel it when it comes to us. Let’s not be afraid to receive each day’s surprise, whether it comes to us as sorrow or joy.” — Henri Nouwen
Further Reading: 30 Inspiring George MacDonald Quotes
Photo Credit: Getty Images/Aynur_sib
5 Quotes about Lamenting Pain
There is a danger to spending so much time reflecting on our pain that we never heal from it, but that’s not the same thing as lamenting. Used properly, we can vocalize our pain, talk to God about our grief, and achieve healing that we would never get any other way.
1. “Both adoration and grief, praise and pain can and should be expressed in community. When we are not aware of our own suffering, Lament becomes an act of solidarity with those suffering among us.” — Dan Wilt
2. “I think we cry at funerals—even at funerals of people we don’t like—because we realize what a miracle life is. You realize, ‘This will never happen again.’ There will never be this exact combination of genres, there will never again by the things that have created this person to be what he is. God has spoken uniquely here, and it’s gone. It’s over. And think there’s some regret, because we all realize, boy, we didn’t pay enough attention.” — Rich Mullins
3. “The healing of the heart can never occur without a lament that comes from repentance.” — Dan Allender
4. “Lament is how people talk to God and one another when pain or indifference tempts them to be silent.” — Mark Vroegop
5 “… it is part of the Christian vocation not to be able to explain—and to lament instead. As the Spirit laments within us, so we become, even in our self-isolation, small shrines where the presence and healing love of God can dwell.” — N.T. Wright
Further Reading: 20 Rich Mullins Quotes to Think about Today
5 Quotes about Having Empathy for Others in Pain
While we can’t experience others’ pain exactly as they experience it, we can lament and walk with them, giving empathy that helps them heal as well as help us grow.
1. “There are men whom one hates until a certain moment when one sees, through a chink in their armor, the writhing of something nailed down and in torment.’” — Gerald Kersch
2. “We bereaved are not alone. We belong to the largest company in all the world—the company of those who have known suffering. When it seems that our sorrow is too great to be borne, let us think of the great family of the heavy-hearted into which our grief has given us entrance, and, inevitably, we will feel about us their arms, their sympathy, their understanding.” — Helen Keller
3. “Understand that your grief or pain is legitimate, but suffering is part of the human condition, and reaching out to someone else is a way of healing yourself while helping others heal too.” — Nick Vujicic
4. “In order to heal, a stranger needs to be honored by a welcoming community that doesn’t assimilate him into lock-step conformity. He may be honored through titles or privileges, but the deepest honor is often shown through acknowledging his scars and the sacrifices he makes to forfeit his angry autonomy in order to create goodness for all. To honor a stranger is to invite him to weave his differences, complexity, and courage into the whole. Once a stranger tastes welcome and honor, his past losses are not forgotten, but now the harm is no longer a barrier or a tool and can be used instead to shape new dreams and desires for what is ahead. A stranger becomes a son, no longer powerless, when he receives and participates in the privilege of belonging.” — Dan Allender
5. “Those who have Jesus' heart toward hurting people need to live out their faith by alleviating suffering where they can, by making a difference, by embodying his love in practical ways.” — Peter Kreeft
Further Reading: 50 Inspirational Sayings to Brighten Your Day
Photo Credit: Getty Images/Melpomenem
This article is part of our larger Inspiring Quotes resource meant to encourage and strengthen your faith. Visit our most popular quotes by well known Christians and theologians to find more inspiration. Remember, the Holy Spirit can work through us when we have faith and share it with others! Please pass along any quotes that touch your heart because you never know light you’ll shine on someone else’s dark day!
