While attempting to subdue my belligerent hair this morning, I rehearsed a catalog of things to say to a friend who is walking through a very dark trial right now. Every one of them seemed trite, insincere and foolish in contrast to her suffering. As I began to pray, the Lord reminded me of my conversations with Mary the last couple of months of her life.She had an entire gamut of things said to her by well-meaning people, but they had no idea what it was like to endure the pain she was in, nor the weight of the darkness that would come upon her at night, nor the sudden reality that she was going to die and leave behind many loved ones, some of whom were still unsaved. Sometimes, with right motives we attempt to put ourselves in someone else's place to empathize and offer encouragement, yet we forget that there will ALWAYS be a limitation to our understanding what they are going through...even if we've gone through something very similar. It's because we are all unique, with different backgrounds, ways we handle pain, thought processes, etc. This is the wonderful thing about Jesus.
He faithfully revealed Himself to Mary in the tenderest and most loving ways while she suffered. In the depths of His love for her, He didn't remove the pain but He gave her the grace to endure. He did not always extinguish the darkness that would blanket her nights, but He gave her the faith to trust Him in the midst of it. When she had overwhelming headaches from the chemotherapy, Jesus showed her He understood head pain when the crown of thorns was pressed deeply into His skull. When every breath was an agonizing effort and her nebulizers and inhalers were not helping, He reminded her that His every breath came through agony on the cross, with a nail through His feet and lungs near collapse.
On and on the revelations of Jesus came because He knew men's words could never meet the needs of His child. I know there are times we suffer when God seems mute. Those times have great and necessary lessons in each of the silent-filled days...but He is a good Father and is able to meet us exactly where we are. I wonder if Jesus' words in John 12:26 had a secondary application: "If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be." As we follow Jesus in heart, when our physical service cannot continue, does He not still call us inseparable? Us with Him and He with us...our Immanuel...never leaving us, forgetting about us, or faltering in speech not knowing what to say. Like it says in 1 Samuel 3:10 "Then Samuel answered, 'Speak Lord, for your servant is listening'."
Ps 139:3 Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways.
May His words be yours today and may your ears be open if He speaks. Bless you.
