A cynic asked an elderly believer who had endured great physical pain for 20 years, "What do you think of your God now?" The godly sufferer replied, "I think of Him more than ever."

Sorrow can be the means of bringing us heart-to-heart with God. When repeated strokes of adversity have robbed us of health, friends, money, and favorable circumstances, God then becomes the only thing in life for us. We come to love Him for who He is and not merely for what He has to give.

In those times we cry out with the psalmist, "Whom have I in heaven but You? And there is none upon earth that I desire besides You" (Psalm 73:25). The path of sorrow leads us to the place where we can say, "My flesh and my heart fail; but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever" (v.26).

Then too, we must remember, on ahead lies heaven, where "God will wipe away every tear from [our] eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain" (Revelation 21:4). The path of pain will have led us to the land where loss is unknown—a place where there is no grief, but only joy and the service for which we've been fully prepared. This is what puts our pain in perspective. This is the sweet aftermath of sorrow.   — David H. Roper