Jesus Feels Your Pain

Hi, I’m Joni Eareckson Tada with words to strengthen your faith.

If you’re like me, sometimes you wonder just how much and to what extent God might be moved by your suffering? Oh sure, he sees your tears; he knows your heart is aching; he senses your disappointment. But how much does that move him into action? I’ve wondered this very thing, sitting in my wheelchair. Is God, well, is he just accustomed to seeing me like this? Has the edge, has the urgency of living without use of my hands or legs worn off for him? Does he think, “Eh, she can handle it; she’s a pro at this. Living most of her life as a quad? Joni’s got this down pat; I don’t have to worry about her.” Man, whenever those thoughts creep into my mind – and occasionally they do; they’re so scary – because, you know what, we are so prone to assign human reasoning and emotions to our great God. So, whenever such ideas creep in, I stop them. And I remember the story of Luke chapter 8. You know it well.

But for a refresher, let me share. Jesus is moving slowly through a thick crowd. Everyone is pressing against him, demanding things, asking things, requesting, begging and pleading for things. But all of a sudden, behind him, this woman who’s been hemorrhaging blood, she reaches out. And her trembling hand touches his garment, and with that, Jesus stops, and he utters these stunning words, “Who touched me?” We can all picture that moving scene, and I love what T. DeWitt Talmage says about it. He comments this; he says: “We talk about God on a vast scale so much, we hardly appreciate his accessibility. God in magnitude rather than God in minutia; God in the infinite rather than God in the infinitesimal. But here [in the story] we have a God arrested by a suffering touch.… The slightest stroke of the smallest finger of human disability makes all the nerves of Christ’s head and heart and hands and feet vibrate. This is not a preoccupied Christ; not a hard Christ or an iron-cased Christ, but an exquisitely sensitive Christ.”

And this is what God desires to convey about himself when we’re hurting and suffering. Especially if you’re dealing with a chronic condition, like me. God has not gotten accustomed to your pain, or even your constant cries for relief. He is not calloused or inured to it; he hasn’t gotten tired of hearing you plead for help. When it comes to your afflictions, God feels the edge just as sharply; God senses the urgency just as much as you do. You can arrest God Almighty by one touch; one painful, suffering touch, just like that woman in Luke chapter 8. You can reach out with the slightest stroke, the smallest finger of disability, and all the nerves in Christ’s head and heart resonate. When you are in pain, he feels the sting in his chest. So no wonder Psalm 62 says, “Trust in him at all times…pour out your [heart] to him, for God is our refuge.” Oh, friend, you have a Savior who is ready to pour out grace-upon-grace and strength-upon-strength and help and hope. He is sensitive to your cry and stands with you in it all, bringing courage and perseverance, endurance and the miraculous ability to smile, even through your struggles. Trust him at all times; and if you need prayer support for this, believe me, our team at Joni and Friends is sensitive to your situation. We pray every single morning together as a team, so just share with us your prayer requests today at joniradio.org and be as specific as you can. We want you to trust in God at all times, because we love sharing his hope in your every hardship.

© Joni and Friends

Learn about the biblical practice of lament on this week’s podcast.

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