A CRYING GOD
This post is taken from my newest book, The Perfect Savior, an Easter devotional published by Our Daily Bread. Order from Our Daily Bread, Amazon, or BarneyCargile.com
Ever been required to memorize a Bible verse? Hope you didn’t attempt Esther 8:9. It’s the longest verse in the Bible. Instead, I recommend John 11:35, “Jesus wept,” for obvious reasons. It’s the shortest verse in the Bible. Yet packed in those two words, are some of the most meaningful thoughts in scripture. Because it shows how God responds to our grief.
A God who cries? That’s bizarre. Who could imagine it? Exactly. This is why we know it’s true. Humans wouldn’t invent a crying God. But when we ponder these two simple words, God comes alive for us in new ways. When Jesus came, he could have insulated himself from sadness, sorrow, and pain. But he intentionally chose to subject himself to every form of misery we endure. He wanted to feel what we feel, to hurt when we hurt, to struggle with our struggles. “Jesus wept.”
When Jesus stood at the grave of his friend Lazarus, he wasn’t crying because he missed him. Jesus knew his healing power would raise Lazarus to life. He cried because others who loved Lazarus cried. John records, “When Jesus saw [Mary] weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled” (11:33).
Sometimes we place expectations on God which he never promised—such as keeping bad things from happening to us. We become resentful because he doesn’t come through in ways we think he should. But God hasn’t promised to protect us from pain. Quite the opposite. In John 16:33, Jesus declares, “In this world you will have trouble.”
God assures us of something greater than eliminating pain. He promises to be with us amid our troubles. “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned” (Isaiah 43:2). Notice he doesn’t say if but when. In verse five he adds, “Do not be afraid, for I am with you.” Rather than standing back and watching us suffer, he hurls himself headfirst into our heartache.
When Jesus stood weeping with Lazarus’s sisters, he was living out this promise in the flesh. He joined his friends in their sadness and sorrow. “Jesus wept.” Two short words, packed with power, peace, and promise, because they reveal to us a God who cries with us in the pit of our pain.
Principle: God enters into our pain and grieves with us.
Ponder:
When has God entered into your sorrow and cried with you?
How can you appreciate this comforting attribute of God in a deeper way?
Pursue: For a deeper dive, study John 11:32-44.
Lord Jesus, thank you that you don’t stand back and watch me suffer. Thank you for being a God who cries with me. When I grieve, help me remember this.
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