Jesus Knows All About Our Struggles

"The only way to find yourself is in the fires of sorrow. Why it should be this way is immaterial. The fact is that it is true in the Scriptures and in human experience. You can always recognize who has been through the fires of sorrow and received himself, and you know that you can go to him in your moment of trouble and find that he has plenty of time for you. But if a person has not been through the fires of sorrow, he is apt to be contemptuous, having no respect or time for you, only turning you away. If you will receive yourself in the fires of sorrow, God will make you nourishment for other people." - Oswald Chambers, My Utmost For His Highest 

You don’t have to look far to find someone who has dealt with sorrow in their life.  Perhaps they are still struggling with it and “it”, the source of the sorrow, has shaped their view of life.  Perhaps they have lost hope .. they cannot see the promises of the Lord because of the burden they carry …. They may have forgotten that … 

“He [Jesus, the Messiah] was despised, and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and as one from whom men hide their face he was despised; and we esteemed him not.” - Isaiah 53:3

 People don’t need your words, they need your love.  Remember, “we love because He first loved us”.  1 John 4:19  We give comfort to others because He first comforted us. God uses us … jars of clay who have met sorrow ourselves … to minister to others … 

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ.” - 2 Corinthians 1:3-5

Our job is not to fix people, but to understand the burden of sorrow and to love them.  Usually when people greet you and ask how you are doing, they really don’t want to know the details … a simple “I’m fine” is what they are looking for.  You must willing to go beyond that … Ask them how you can pray for them … don’t try to identify with the particular source of their sorrow … The balm of Gilead referred to in Jeremiah 8:22 was used to heal wounds.  Jesus is the Balm for our sorrows, for our wounds.  “There is not a friend like the lowly Jesus, no not one. Jesus knows all about our struggles, He will guide till the day is done.” Being Jesus to someone is who we are to be. And that will cost you something. Your challenge is being willing to pay the price for the good of someone else - just like Jesus. 

Think about it – Pray about it – Believe it – Walk in it. Let your light shine and give God the glory.

By Faith Alone By His Grace Alone And For His Glory Alone