But then, I think of the rejection and the scars on His hands,
And I curl up in the arms of the One who understands.
I cling to Him and His promise of the coming day,
When I will have no more tears, and the pain will go away.
I’m not alone… I’m not alone.
He will never leave me. I’m not alone.
Have you ever felt as if the devil was attacking so hard in your state of weakness that you could not endure? Have you ever sat alone heartbroken and in tears? Have you ever been failed by someone close to you or your trust betrayed by a friend? Have you ever had one of those heart-pounding, sweat-soaked, panic-ridden moments? Have you ever felt like no one could possibly understand what you are going through?
The opening poem is an excerpt from my novel, NEVER FORGET THE TRUTH. One of the characters, Ellie, is in an ultimate battle with the enemy. In her broken state, she sings these lyrics to remind herself that she is not alone and that there is One who truly does understand and can empathize with her suffering.
And while my novel is fiction, the One who understands is real. And, God’s Word reveals and details much about how Jesus really does understand.
Jesus understands temptation, even in a state of weakness. After all, Jesus was tested by Satan himself, and not under conditions where a person would be at one’s strongest, but after fasting for forty days. Matthew 4:1-2 states, “Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred” (KJV). I, honestly, cannot imagine how weak He must have been physically and mentally. If I skip breakfast and lunch, by afternoon, not only do I feel physically sick but my mind is foggy and I have difficulty focusing on a task. Yet, Jesus had fasted for forty days.
Jesus understands heartbreak.
After Lazarus died, Jesus wept when he saw Mary. John 11:33-35 details, “When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews also weeping which came with her, he groaned in the spirit, and was troubled. And said, Where have ye laid him? They said unto him, Lord, come and see. Jesus wept” (KJV). Jesus was troubled by Mary’s pain. The verse does not say, but I believe Jesus is weeping in response to Mary’s hurting heart and not because of the death of his friend. Jesus loves Lazarus, but He knows He is going to raise Lazarus.
Jesus understands being let down by those closest to us.
Jesus knew what lay ahead for Him. Jesus told his closest friends how He felt as He said to them, “My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here and watch with me” (Matthew 26:38 KJV). After Jesus prays, he returns and, “findeth them asleep” (Matthew 26:40).
Jesus understands betrayal.
After all, in exchange for money (“… thirty pieces of silver”), it was one of Jesus’ friends who turned Him over to the authorities (Matthew 26:15 KJV). We know that not only was Judas one of Jesus’ disciples, but Jesus thought of him as a friend. In Matthew 26:50, when Judas led the authorities to Jesus, Jesus said to Judas, “…Friend, wherefore art thou come?” (KJV).
Jesus understands anxiety and stress.
Jesus knew His purpose in coming to earth as a man. He knew what He would have to endure. But yet, He had come to earth as a man. And we know from previous examples, that He felt emotional pain. He wept and felt sorrow. But also in the garden, as He prayed, we are given a vivid image of His stress level. Luke 22:44 describes the scene by saying, “And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling to the ground” (KJV).
There is One who understands, and He promises never to betray us or leave us alone. The scripture clearly states, “… For He hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee” (Hebrews 13:5 KJV).
