Birth Pains

When I left you last week, our daughter was in labor. She had actually been in labor for nearly 24 hours by the time she went to the hospital, so by the time she got to the hospital, her head was spinning and she was spewing pea soup. Word is she clung on so tightly to the door handle of the car on her way to the hospital that she left permanent claw marks.  I strongly suspect that, at that moment, she was not exactly rejoicing in the miracle that was about to take place.
After she was admitted, the doctor asked a really dumb question: “Would you like an epidural?” It wasn’t long before our daughter lay in numbed bliss as her body went in autopilot through the last few hours of labor. The ticker tape would show contractions of Richter scale magnitude while our daughter obliviously awaited the blessed event. Temporarily useless, we headed home to gather one more family member and shower before returning.
Upon returning a couple of hours later, delivery was already in progress. The extended family gathered in a circle in the waiting room, held hands and prayed over the process, over the doctor and nurses, over our daughter and her husband, and over that sweet little baby’s entire life. Within a half-hour, our spirited little granddaughter emerged with cheeks big enough to hold Whoppers and Asian eyes that testified of her father’s heritage, and we rejoiced.
In childbirth, joy comes about through great pain. For those who haven’t experienced birth pains, it’s impossible to describe their intensity. The pain comes in body-shattering waves that consume all your thoughts and all your energy. One of life’s most blessed events is encased in a curse that is a painful reminder of woman’s role in the fall of man. (See Genesis 3:16.)
So it is with our world. Every day seems to be a harbinger for fresh heartache at the hands of earthquakes, tornadoes, flooding, tsunamis, wars, famine, disease and persecution. The headlines make me think of my sweet grandma, who would say, “Why would anyone bring a child into such a world?” That was 25 years ago. What would she say today?
I know what Jesus says. He says, “Don’t be alarmed” (Mark 13:7b). None of this is any surprise to Him. He told us what to expect – now and in the future. “These things must take place,” He continued, “but the end is not yet. For nation will rise up against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places, and famines. These are the beginnings of birth pains” (Mark 13:7c-8). So does that mean we’re only in Stage 1 labor? What will Stage 2 be like?
Well, let’s just say I hope I’m not around to see it. Stages 2 and 3 would be the Tribulation and Great Tribulation (see Mark 14:14-23), of which Jesus said, “Unless the Lord limited those days, no one would survive” (Mark 14:20). Now, that’s certainly something to look forward to!
But for those of us who trust Christ as Savior and Lord, the birth pains of this world under its curse – like the birth pains of a woman under her curse – lead to a joyful result: the return of Christ: “Then they will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. he will send out the angels and gather His elect from the four winds, from the end of the earth to the end of the sky” (Mark 14:26-27). 
The end is coming, yes; but for Christ-followers it’s only the beginning. But in the interim, many of us are at a loss. How do we respond to the daily onslaught of suffering? Are we expected to rejoice because we know that our deliverance is near?
Certainly not! Jesus wept with those who wept, and we must weep with those who weep (Romans 12:15). But we don’t sit around watching suffering and doing nothing about it. In Matthew 28:19-20, He calls on us to go and tell, and in James 1 and 2, we are commanded to go and do. We have much work to do before our Lord comes. People must hear His truth and see Him in us. We must show them that He is their help for today and their hope for eternity.
Though we cannot allow it to numb us against suffering, faith becomes like an epidural that helps us endure the world’s agonizing birth pains as we await deliverance from the curse. But as birth pains intensify, it is clear that our deliverer is coming, and we can rejoice in that glorious assurance.