When you are in unspeakable pain, it is natural to question the love of God. If God has the power to end your pain, then why doesn’t he do something? Your mom dies young or you battle depression for years or your marriage ends despite your desire to keep fighting or you can’t conceive after all those prayers or you live with the scars of abuse from your childhood. Given what you’ve been through, how can you really be sure that God loves you?

Here’s my simplest answer—because pain proves it. You know that someone loves you when they are willing to suffer for you. Selfish people run from suffering, while those who genuinely care stick around because of love. 

Now think of God. If he stayed in heaven, distant from pain, you would always have to wonder about his love. But if he himself was willing to suffer for you, that would say something. In fact, that would say everything. 

This is why Jesus’ pain proves it. Despite being God in human flesh, filled with almighty power to avoid suffering altogether, Jesus endured pain. The flogging, the thorns, the nails, the cross, the tomb. His pain said something profound about what our God is actually like. He is love. He must be.

“This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins” (1 John 4:10). Don’t let the devil use your pain to deceive you. God is love. Jesus’ pain proves it.