1378) I have mentioned before I am terribly afraid when visiting the dentist. I literally will shake in the chair, and honestly, it’s embarrassing. I do not think the dentist is going to kill me, but what scares me is the unknown, especially if it includes pain.

This unknown pain can happen at any moment because we live in a broken world and this can be overwhelming. Death, disease, conflict and more are all around us and we know (if we’re not living in denial) we are not immune to any of it. This can be very frightening because the bottom line is, in this life, we will feel pain and this pain can be intense.

Although there is pain in this life, Joshua 1:9 tells us not to be afraid, because when these things happen, we will not face it alone. It’s interesting to me what Joshua does not say, and that is, God will keep all the pain away. This will not happen until the next life for God’s children.

In the meantime, when pain hits us in the blink of an eye, we can turn to God and ask him to help. He’s right there, ready and waiting.