Weeping For the Hurting
“Jesus wept…” -John 11:35
I found out this morning that a couple who belong to my church lost their son in an untimely death. I can’t imagine their pain or their loss and what they will be facing in the coming days. I only pray God’s Spirit will remind them moment-by-moment of God’s steadfast love for them and for their son who is now safe in His arms in heaven.
When I received the call, I was over three hundred miles away on a weekend vacation. On the drive home, my mind was overwhelmed with a sense of helplessness. I so wanted to be there for this family, but circumstances did not allow it. Jesus waited until Lazarus had died and arrived on the scene to find his dear loved ones weeping. Jesus’ reaction? He hung His head and wept with them. Then He showed them that He really is the resurrection and the life.
In my absence, some dear members of the Bethel family surrounded this hurting couple and I’m so thankful to belong to a church like that! But I’m even more thankful that in their time of hurting, Jesus is there. He is there as the resurrection and the life with a promise that their son will rise again and they will live together with Him in heaven for all of eternity.
The harsh truth of life is that we cannot always be in all of the places we’d like to be at all times. Unfortunately, we won’t be available everytime a loved one is hurting, as much as we’d like to be. But Jesus is there in our stead. His presence is overwhelming. This truth does not make loss easy to deal with for loss will always be difficult for human beings. Rather, His presence unveils the light at the end of the darkness of death.
It was Jesus, the Resurrection and the Life who rose again from the grave as a demonstration of the power of God to do the same for everyone who ever repents and believes on His precious name. Thank Jesus for His presence with the hurting today!
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