Good Headache!

I woke up on Saturday with a very debilitating headache, a rarity for me.  Located in the center of my skull, the pain throbbed continuously.  Sensitive to light and dizzy from quick movements, I lay in bed and wondered what had happened!  Cooking breakfast seemed out of the question, and besides I wasn't hungry at all.  For many this may be a common occurrence.  But for me, it was seemed more of a negative novelty.  I wasn't sleepy but lay wide awake with my eyes closed, trying to shut out the sunlight filtering into the room through the vertical blinds.

There was nothing I could do but pray.  My typical morning routine is about an hour and a half of combined prayer and Bible reading before I make breakfast.  But what a wonderful time I spent with the LORD for a while as I lay hurting in bed Saturday!  The pain wasn't the focus of my prayer, but the pain enabled me to focus better on the LORD.  Instead of being distracted by the activity of the house or thinking about what other things I could do, it was like I was the captive audience in the presence of God.  In those moments, despite the discomfort, I thought about how good God is to allow us times enter into His presence when we have little choice.  Though painful, that headache was not a pain:  it was a great blessing.  I thanked God for that headache because He used it to enable me to better seek and find Him.

Sometimes God will slow us down and allow us to endure illness for His purposes.  This is hard to comprehend, and our flesh rebels at this idea.  But God knows us better than we know ourselves, and will use all things for good.  How wonderful God is, that even a headache can be a good thing if we will seek Him diligently.  Whether sick or well the scripture rings true: Deuteronomy 4:29 says, "But from there you will seek the LORD your God, and you will find Him if you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul."  No matter our condition or geographical location, this promise of God will never fail.  Praise Him for that!