Dear friend, I’m so sorry. Can we just sit together awhile? It’s fine to be quiet. You’re allowed to weep. Hold your children if they need you—the hugs will help them as well as you. And if you’re weeping because your arms are empty, let Jesus hold you.

Maybe you just got that diagnosis you feared. Maybe your husband didn’t come home last night. Maybe you don’t know how you’re going to feed your kids today. Maybe you’re sinking low in the muck of someone else’s mistakes or facing the consequences of your own. Maybe the weight presses down so heavily that you feel like you can’t get out of bed, let alone stand up and face today.

When we’re sad, there is One who wept.

When we’re lonely, we’re never alone.

When we’re abandoned, He never leaves or forsakes his own.

When we’re weak, He’s strong.

When we’re hungry, He’s the bread of life who wants to satisfy us forever.

When we suffer, any pain we give to Him isn’t wasted.

When we’re depressed, He’s close to the broken-hearted.

We’ve heard of Him, but He wants us to know Him better on our paths of suffering. The whole Bible points to Him, and His name is Jesus. The good news is that “…God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom. 5:8).

Jesus sees, hears, and loves his own so much. If we turn to Him in faith, He’s committed to us for the long haul. He’s with us for every twist and turn, every unexpected fork or bramble on our paths.

The psalmist says:

“I waited patiently for the LORD;
he inclined to me and heard my cry.
He drew me up from the pit of destruction,
out of the miry bog,
and set my feet upon a rock,
making my steps secure.
He put a new song in my mouth,
a song of praise to our God,
Many will see and fear,
and put their trust in the LORD.”
-Psalm 40:1-3

Wait for Him.

If we cry out to Him, He hears us. In His time, He will draw us out of our pits and set our feet on solid ground. He will make our steps secure. He will put new songs of praise in our hearts. And He will make good out of our sorrows—so much good that others will see and trust God because of it.

He’s there when we see Him and there when we don’t. He’s present whether we feel His presence or not. Knowing He’s with us makes all the difference in the world when our lives feel like they’re falling apart.

So rest assured, my friend. The man of sorrows is familiar with sorrow and acquainted with grief. He knows the path of suffering perfectly well. It led Him to a cross where He met our greatest need of rescue from sin. There’s nothing we can do—or that can be done to us—that will make Him stop loving us. There’s nothing we can do that will make Him love us more.

His name is Jesus, and He is with us.

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