Have you ever had a friend with a terminal disease? Or maybe one who had just lost a loved one? In those moments we probably played the role of the friend who understood the pain and hardships that they went through.
In John 15:15, Jesus says, "No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you." We know for a fact that Jesus has called us friends, but is He the kind of friend that understands our pain and suffering?
It can often feel like we are disconnected from God because we can think that He's way up there in the clouds enjoying gold streets and pearl mansions while we stick around in this imperfect world. But be assured that God knows what pain you are going through right now.
Isaiah 53:5 tells us that Jesus was "...pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace..." Remember that Jesus once walked in our shoes as man experiencing our hunger, our pain, our heartaches and our temptations. Without a shadow of a doubt, God knows what we go through and he relates with us.
Psalm 145:18 says, "The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth." God does not just watch from a distance as we suffer, but draws near to offer peace and comfort to those who are contrite. All we must do is ask for His presence to come and heal our hearts.
In the midst of the darkest circumstances, God is there to relate with our pain and suffering. He went through it all. In fact if there's anyone who cannot relate to the level of pain that one experienced, it's us. We will never know just how much it cost Jesus to come down to become man, and to die a shameful death for people who do not deserve grace and mercy.
We will never know how much pain Jesus experienced on the cross, and what pain God the Father experienced as He watched His one and only Son get tortured, beaten and killed for the sins of a flawed and selfish world. We will never know God's pain because He's been through worse for us.
But He didn't go through all that pain and suffering for nothing. He endured all on the cross so that we can experience the freedom of a life blessed and preserved by the lavish grace of a loving Father. And all this so that He will heal our wounds and stripes. That's how much Jesus knows your pain.
