Life is ever-changing, and as we get older, it seems to go faster each day. My mom is 92 and very close to seeing Jesus. Every day she is getting weaker. Each day, I wonder how she can keep hanging on to this life. When she was able to speak and talk with understanding, she asked me, “Why is God leaving me here? Is He punishing me?” To that I responded, ” No, you have lived 92 blessed years, but when sin entered the world, death was a curse upon all mankind. I don’t know why you are lingering, but I do know God has a purpose, and while His purpose is being fulfilled, He holds us as close to Him as we want to be.
This week, she has declined to the point of mumbling and groaning in pain. Her medications for pain and agitation did not seem to help. The only time she was at peace was when I held her. She was turned on her side, and I slipped one arm under her neck, one around her back, and placed my cheek on hers. As she listened to me pray, her body began to relax as I spoke Jesus to her. This situation reminded me of how much Jesus cares about us and how He is waiting to hold us. He wants to pull us in close, to whisper peace to our souls, to comfort our raging thoughts, and calm our fears and anxieties.
In Psalms 34:18, we see that “The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart.” While it breaks my heart to see my mom in this condition, I know that it is not permanent. She was saved as a child and lived her life for her Savior, so I am certain she is about to inherit eternity with Jesus in Heaven. I rejoice in what is awaiting her, and I cannot be so selfish as to wish her to be here another day. While Jesus is near the broken-hearted, he is very near to those suffering physically. In Isaiah 43:2, He will be with those who have surrendered their lives to Him. Through all the pain, the tears, the ups and downs of this life, HE IS THERE!
Isaiah 43:2 “When thou passeth through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.”
He has compassion on us, and as we suffer, He hurts too. In John 11:35, we see the shortest verse in the Bible, but it packs the most punch for those who need to know how much Jesus cares. This verse says, “Jesus wept.” Jesus weeps upon arriving at the tomb of his friend Lazarus before raising him from the dead. In this situation, He shows us His deep humanity, empathy for human suffering, and compassion for His friends Mary and Martha. These tears and power to resurrect His friend show us emotion as a man, and His power as God the Son.
In our human efforts to face the challenges of life, we want all the answers before we proceed, but God says, ” Trust me. When we place our faith in Him and trust that He loves us more than anyone ever could, we can move forward with acceptance and confidence. Will there still be sorrow and tears? The answer is yes. Just as Jesus cried even though He knew He was about to raise Lazarus from the dead, we will cry too.
It is in these times that we need to pull a little closer to Jesus so He can hold us. However, so many people in painful situations allow themselves to become angry at God. Their idea is that if He loved them, He would fix their problems. This is like the child who gets angry and rebels when they are corrected. They are so spoiled that they want what they want, and they get mad at those who won’t let them have it. As Christians, we need to look at the bigger picture and understand that we don’t have all the answers, and we don’t need them in order to trust God. Our view of God is tainted with sin, it will not see clearly until we are in our perfect bodies in Heaven. However, faith will allow us to cling to Jesus, and if our desire is to let Him hold us, He will.
God is not detached from human pain; He feels it. He sees every tear and hears every cry. He hears and sees when no one else sees. In James 4:8, we are taught to draw close to God, and He will draw close to us. If you continue to read the verse, you will see that we need to repent and forsake any sin in our lives. Sin separates us from God, but humbly seeking Him with a clean heart secures us a place near to Him where He will hold us as close as we want to be.
James 4:8 “Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.”
