Church Pews: They’ve Got StoriesÀpẹrẹ

Jesus Cries: He Weeps With You

For as long as I can remember, I've been drawn towards John 11:35, famously recognized as the shortest verse in the whole Bible: “Jesus wept.” The verse itself is nestled into the middle of John 11, a chapter and story I find myself returning to quite often.

The chapter tells the story of Lazarus, referred to in verse three as “the one Jesus loves.” Lazarus’s sister sent word to Jesus that her brother had become sick, and upon Jesus’s arrival to Lazarus’s home, He found his friend to be dead. The next part of this story is what brings tears to my eyes almost every single time I read it. Even though Jesus knew He was going to raise Lazarus from the dead, even though He knew death would not be victorious in Lazarus’s story, “Jesus wept.” He was “deeply moved in spirit and troubled” before He performed the miracle of raising Lazarus from the dead.

It’s no secret that in this life we will experience hardship. The staggering loss of a loved one, the unexpected diagnosis, the unthinkable tragedy, the abuse of a child, the dark shadow of depression, the heartbreak of a miscarriage, the breakup that shattered your plans, the loss of a job. In the hardest and most trying moments of life, it can be easy to believe that God is a distant and removed ruler, detached from the grief, pain, and sadness of His children.

When I was seventeen years old, I walked through grief for the first time after losing my Aunt Sharon to cancer. I remember feeling angry and confused, praying that God would help me to make sense of something so devastating. My journey with grief has been ongoing, as most journeys with hardships tend to be. Yet, through it all I’ve continued to lean into and learn about the compassion of Jesus. The same Jesus who wept for Lazarus, weeps with me. That same Jesus weeps with you too.

Psalms 34:18 declares, “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” In your deepest hurt, God comes close. He will never abandon you or leave you alone in your pain.

God also cares deeply about your sorrows and troubles. In Psalms 56:8, David confidently writes “You have taken account of my miseries; Put my tears in Your bottle. Are they not in Your book?” You can bring your heaviest questions and most broken-hearted cries to the feet of the Father, and He will continue to draw near to you. He will catch your tears when they’re all you know how to pray.

Pray this prayer with me: Lord, remind me that I am not alone. I invite You to come close to my broken heart, God. Please give me peace beyond understanding as I navigate this season of hardship. I will choose to trust You even when it’s hard. Amen.