Jesus Understands Our Pain
OPENING PRAYER:
Dear Lord, thank you for loving us so deeply that you gave your life so that we might be saved. Please help us to remember your love when we find ourselves in the depths of sorrow and pain.
“After she had said this, she went back and called her sister Mary aside. “The Teacher is here,” she said, “and is asking for you.” When Mary heard this, she got up quickly and went to him. Now Jesus had not yet entered the village, but was still at the place where Martha had met him. When the Jews who had been with Mary in the house comforting her, noticed how quickly she got up and went out, they followed her, supposing she was going to the tomb to mourn there.
When Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”
When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. “Where have you laid him?” he asked.
“Come and see, Lord,” they replied.
Jesus wept.
Then the Jews said, “See how he loved him!”
But some of them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this many from dying?”
Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance.” John 11:28-38 (NIV
REFLECT:
Empathy is the ability to share and understand the feelings of another person. Among the many gifts my wife has given me over the years is a better understanding of the power of empathy. I tend to have a fixer mentality, so when someone expresses a struggle of some kind, my initial reaction is to find a solution to their problem. Over time and with good coaching, I’ve come to realize that sometimes the most helpful way to support someone in pain is to listen and then be with them where they are. There may be a call to action and a solution eventually, but there is great power in expressing understanding and simply sitting with someone.
APPLY:
Are you experiencing some kind of physical or emotional pain in your life right now? If so, consider sharing your anguish with Jesus, either verbally or in writing. He understands all our troubles, and will listen for as long as it takes.
CLOSING PRAYER:
Thank you Jesus for always being available whenever I need you. Thank you for being a shoulder to cry on and an ear for listening.
CONTINUED READING:
Isaiah 53:3-5
WORSHIP: