He's Been There

"While Jesus was here on earth, he offered prayers and pleadings, with a loud cry and tears, to the one who could deliver him out of death. And God heard his prayers because of his reverence to God. So even though Jesus was God's Son, he learned obedience from things he suffered." Hebrews 5:7-8

At first when I read the title for this week, I was kind of caught off-guard. When I think of Jesus, I do not think of sorrow or pain. I think of my Savior, Who provides hope and wipes my tears and pain away. I think of perfect peace, and I think of overwhelming love. Yet, this week brought to light such a wonderful and ordained time of Jesus' life here on earth. When my heart is breaking in what feels like the deepest sorrow I've ever endured....Jesus understands. He's been there.

If you were to ask most Christians what the shortest verse in the Bible was, most would probably know the answer within a minute: "Of course, it's John 11:35- 'Jesus wept.'" Have you ever really stopped and thought about that verse? Sure, in elementary school, my class always begged for it to be the memory verse of the week. But, really soak that thought in....my Jesus, He wept. He knows what pain is like. His dear friend, Lazarus, had died. Jesus saw the brokenness in Lazarus' two sisters: Mary and Martha. Scripture does not record exactly why Jesus wept. Guthrie suggested a few theories for His grieving. She summoned that perhaps Jesus grieved because he saw what kind of discouragement death brought upon the people He loved.

She writes: "Perhaps he could see in her weeping and hear in their wailing the unbelief that robbed them of being able to grieve with hope and left them with only despair."

Whatever the reason may have been, Jesus was brokenhearted.

Another place in Scripture we see the Lord Jesus once again in great sorrow. In Matthew 26:38, the Lord says: "My soul is crushed with grief to the point of death." Jesus said this statement the night that He took two disciples, James and John, into the Garden of Gethsemane. The time of His crucifixion was soon approaching, and Jesus was spending His last moments on earth in prayer to His Father. What we see in this portion of Matthew 26 is the picture of our Lord experiencing the feeling of deep sorrow and brokenness. I have heard this story many many times but never has the thought of Jesus grieving touched my heart so greatly. Wow. Guthrie writes a powerful statement in this chapter.

"I feel a sense of kinship with Jesus' pain and a sense of relief that he understands what mine feels like. I can't receive instruction on living with pain from someone who has never hurt. I can't receive encouragement to hold on to hope for the future from someone who has never wrangled with death. But I can listen to and receive from this Jesus who knows what it feels like to be filled with anguish and deep distress."

Not only did this passage in Matthew depict the grief that our Lord felt, but it also spoke of a time of loneliness that Jesus must have felt. As He and His disciples entered the garden, Jesus asked the two disciples to "stay here and watch with me." One would think that James and John would have been right by Jesus' side and providing Him with support and encouragement. Surely they understood what was about to take place. Yet, what we see within this chapter is that Jesus came back not one, not two, but three times to his disciples only to find them deep in slumber. How Jesus must have felt. Here He was about to lay His life down for the sins of the entire world, here He was about to suffer agonizing physical pain for which He did not deserve, and here He was about to experience being cut off from His Father God for the first time....and His disciples sleep?

Have you ever felt alone in your time of grief? Maybe those friends just are not there for you like they promised they would. Or maybe you are surrounded by friends and family members, yet feel alone in your grief? Maybe those closest to you are "sleeping" during your time of pain and hardship. Maybe you feel alone.....Now, before we get on a pity trip for ourselves, I invite you to consider a beautiful thought. There is One Who never "sleeps" in your life. God in His Word gives us that promise: Psalm 121:2-3"My help comes from the LORD, Who made heaven and earth. He will not allow your foot to be moved; He who keeps you will not slumber."
Wow.....really grab a hold of that.

Now, I do not discredit the encouragement and support that believers can provide to one's life. In fact, I hold that in such high importance. The body of Christ is such a beautiful thing. Romans 12 speaks of the body of Christ and how vital each member is to the whole. Verse 15 says, "Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep." I am thankful and praise God for those that He has placed within my life as encouragers. Yet, I am asking you to consider: Do we put more effort, more time, more fulfillment into being uplifted by others? What would make us value that from the Lord just as much? Maybe if we could audibly hear His voice? Maybe if we could just sit down at a table, with a cup of coffee and Hershey's chocolate, look Him straight within the eyes, and really see and hear Him speaking into our hearts. Would that make it easier?

But what the Lord invites us to is even better than that tall peppermint mocha frappuccino with whipped cream. He has given us an invitation to come before His throne. Hebrews 4:16: "Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need." What an invitation! No, He has not forgotton that heart. No, dear one, He has not forgotten the loneliness hidden inside. No, precious one, He hurts when you hurt, He knows your hurt, He heals your hurt. Why? Because He's felt your hurt. What we find when we come to His throne is not One who sleeps but One who heals. What we find is not One Who forgets, but One Who wipes away those tears. What we find is One who dissolves those fears, renews that strength, and mends that broken heart. Amen, dear child, you can have hope again!

I encourage you to fall on your knees before the God of Israel, before the Lord of your life. No, He does not sleep.....He gives hope. Hope for your journey.

Hannah Grace