When Pain Has a Purpose: A Reflection on Proverbs 20:30
When Pain Has a Purpose: A Deep Reflection on Proverbs 20:30 “Blows and wounds scrub away evil, and beatings purge the inmost being.” — Proverbs 20:30 (NIV) Pain is one of life’s greatest mysteries. We all experience it—physically, emotionally, spiritually. And when it comes, our natural response is to resist, question, or escape it. We ask, Why is this happening? What did I do to deserve this? Where is God in this? But Scripture teaches us that pain can have divine purpose. Proverbs 20:30 offers a challenging but powerful truth: “Blows and wounds scrub away evil, and beatings purge the inmost being.” At first, this sounds extreme—does God want to wound us? Is He punishing us? The answer lies not in fear, but in love . This verse isn’t about physical harm, nor does it glorify suffering. It uses vivid, ancient language to describe a spiritual reality : that God uses hardship, correction, and conviction to cleanse and transform our he...