What does God’s word say about pain?

This text is from a transcript of a talk by David Gooding, entitled ‘God is on the Throne and in Control’ (1998).

When it comes to pain, it's easy for a preacher to stand and preach theory sometimes, when he himself has never experienced much. Mere theory to people who are in pain is difficult to take. I don't have time to say what I'd love to say, but Hebrews 2:10 has been a great help to me.

Having started on this scheme of having us eventually as sons of God, conformed to the image of his Son, God knew in advance the pain it would involve for us.

He knew far more the pain that it would involve for him. He's not a God who sits on his throne and dishes out mere theory or commands. When we had gone astray, rebelled, and gone our own way, God himself suffered more than any one of us or all of us put together will ever suffer, for Jesus Christ is God incarnate.

For it was fitting that he, for whom and by whom all things exist, in bringing many sons to glory, should make the founder of their salvation perfect through suffering. (Hebrews 2:10)

So we dare to trust not just a preacher who relates what has been a help to him, but we look to Christ himself and see how he endured the sufferings for our sake.