Jesus Understands
Hi, I’m Joni Eareckson Tada and I love Psalm 68.
I’m sure you’ve heard it before. Psalm 68, verse 19 is such a comfort to me, and I bet it is to you, too. Because it says, “Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens.” I not only love the truth of that statement, but I love the picture it paints. You got burdens? God wants to bear them. And He wants to do it every single day. Is that good news or what? Because no one understands, no one gets it or resonates with all that you bear quite like Jesus.
When I am feeling blue? When my quadriplegia gets me down? (And it sure does) When my paralysis makes me feel ‘separated’ from others? I look to Jesus—He bears those feelings. But, did anyone ever bear His feelings? Did anyone ever resonate with Him, feel His pain, carry His sorrow? In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus was filled with sadness, and He asked His three best friends to keep watch with Him. But they didn’t. At His greatest point of need, Jesus was let down by His companions. When His followers saw the soldiers come to arrest Jesus, the Bible records that, “all the disciples deserted him and fled.” Jesus was always being misunderstood; not even His innermost circle really knew Him. They did not understand His mission. But here’s the deal: Jesus went without the comfort of human fellowship so that He might say to you, “Never will I leave you.” Jesus understands when you feel rejected, for He was despised and rejected by men—the “man of sorrows, familiar with suffering” like it says in Isaiah 53. Jesus knew the pain of sadness, yet it says in John Chapter 15, “I have told you all this so that My joy may be in you and that your joy might be complete.”
Jesus was utterly forsaken by God so that He, in turn, could say to you and to me, “Never will I forsake you.” Amazingly, Jesus did not sink under the burden of sadness. The load was heavy; the way was long, but He persevered. And here’s what makes the good news so great: He gives you power to do the same.
So, whenever I feel sorrowful, I look to Jesus who endured a greater grief and sorrow than I do. Yet even in that Jesus could say, “Blessed are those who mourn,” in Matthew Chapter 5. Sorrow forces us to identify more deeply with our suffering Savior, and that is a blessing.
If you’re experiencing sorrow, if your tears seem to flow endlessly over a deep disappointment, if you feel utterly alone in your circumstances, remember the Savior. Remember that He persevered, and it means you can, too. How so? Well, I’ve written about those insights in a booklet called “No Longer Alone” because so many people, so many Christians, struggle with loneliness today. At a time when we should be more connected than ever, true and deep relationships are so hard to come by. We’re relational people. We need each other, and we need God. So contact us today at joniandfriends.org/radio and ask for your free gift, my booklet called “No Longer Alone.” And finally, would you pray with me? Lord Jesus, thank you for identifying with me in my loneliness and bearing it daily. And when those feelings get me down, let those feelings drive me to You, not away from You. Show me a deeper intimacy with You. Jesus, may my lonely feelings drive me deeper into the fellowship of sharing in Your suffering. And I pray all of this in Your Name. Amen.
Let me hear from you today on my Facebook page or you can always post a comment on my blog at joniandfriends.org.
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