He Knows Your NameSýnishorn

He Knows Your Pain

We meet another nameless woman who is bent over with debilitating pain in Luke 13. She has been sick for eighteen years, and yet there she is, bravely showing up to worship at her synagogue on the Sabbath. When I read about this woman and her encounter with Jesus, I always pause when I reach verse 12:

“But when Jesus saw her, He called her to Him” (NKJV).

Some days we need to be reminded that Jesus sees us. This woman was physically small, and it would have been easy to overlook her on that fateful day, but even when we feel small, Jesus is the God who sees.

And Jesus doesn’t just see from a distance. No, He sees and He takes action. There is a Hebrew word, hesed, in Scripture that is often translated mercy or compassion. It embodies Jesus in this moment with this woman. He has compassion on her because He sees her and then He acts. He calls her to Himself, heals her, and then defends her before critics.

So when we say that God sees us, we need to realize that it’s far more than a glance or a brief notice. It is a recognition of who we are and what we need most. Jesus sees and He responds.

He is not afraid of our pain or the mess we find ourselves in. He is holy and perfect, and yet He also understands the pain that comes with being human.

Isaiah 53 is a prophetic word about Jesus before He came to heal this woman. If you go read it and look at the verbs that describe Him, you might be surprised to find that He was despised, rejected, afflicted, and wounded. Jesus has felt the pain of being human, and when He sees one of His daughters in pain, He does not look away but embodies hesed (love in action). He sees and takes a step closer.

I challenge you to go read Isaiah 53 and circle the verbs. Which one describes the pain you are feeling right now? Can you embrace the truth that He recognizes this pain and will walk with you today?

Like this woman bent over, it takes bravery to show up for a devotional when in the midst of pain, but when our bravery meets the loving gaze of Jesus, things change.