He Cares for You
Today’s Verse:
In all their affliction he was afflicted…. ~Isaiah 63:9a
Years ago, in the first job that I had out of college, I had a manager who had a sign on his desk. It was one of those signs you could not miss. It read, “Empathy: feeling what the other person feels.” It you are an empathetic person and can identify with another person’s hurt, you are a tender-hearted person. On the other hand, if you are the one who is hurting, you have a deeper appreciation and respect for the person who is able to identify with your hurt. Well, I am thankful that our Lord Jesus Christ is touched with the feeling of our infirmities. Let us see, this morning, how “in all their affliction he was afflicted.”
We see His passion.
Jesus is well qualified in being empathetic and sympathetic because of His love for us. His love for us is infinite. He loves us with an everlasting love. His love for us is inestimable. All the money and resources of this world cannot buy the enormousness of our Lord’s love for us. His love for us is inseparable. Nothing can separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus. His love for us incomparable. Nothing comes close in comparison to the sacrificial love that Christ has for us. He is able to identify with our pain because of His passion.
We see His pity.
“Like as a father pitieth his children, so the LORD pitieth them that fear him” (Psalm 103:13). Isaiah said that He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows. He understands our griefs and sorrows because He carries them for us. He wept at Lazarus’ grave. He came to the homes of people who had loved ones at the point of death. He touched the demon-possessed, the diseased, and the lepers. He is able to care for us because of His pity. In His pity, He beckons us to give our burdens to Him. He changes places with us and exchanges His yoke for our yoke. No matter how heavy our yoke might be, He takes our yoke from us. There is no problem or difficulty so heavy that He does not have pity for us.
We see His patience.
Unlike ourselves, Jesus is patient with us and for us. He knows the groaning and sighing that comes from our heavy hearts. Yet, He is patient with us. He will see us stressed, anxious, and struggling with our burdens, yet He is so patient. Peter said that our Lord is “longsuffering to us-ward, not willing…” For some of us, it takes us a long time to be at peace with our difficult circumstances, yet our Lord remains patient with us. He gives us grace and more grace. He makes His strength perfect in our weakness. What a relief it is to know that in all our affliction, He is afflicted.
We see His participation.
“Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.” Fathom the fact that Jesus participates at 100% with us in carrying our burdens, taking our yoke, and sustaining us all the way. We are helpless in trying to participate in another person’s trial. But not Jesus! He doesn’t want the easiest part of our burden: He wants it all! He is with us always, even to the end of the world. When Jesus suffered for our sins, He bore the entire sin penalty for us. What He did when He satisfied God’s demands for sin teaches us that He bears our griefs and carries our sorrows. Yes, we can find satisfaction and comfort in the fact that in all of our affliction, He was afflicted. He comprehends and sympathizes with us in all our troubles. Let Jesus have your burdens today!
Have a carefree God Morning!
Bible Reading Schedule: Ezra 4-7