Jesus Has Felt What You Feel
Are you good at asking for help?
Verse of the Day
“Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.”
Today’s Devotional
Compassion and understanding. That’s what I think of when I read that verse. Jesus shared in our humanity, therefore He suffered in the same ways that we suffer. I read one time about a question someone asked about Jesus not having the same struggles that we face. The person basically said something like, “How can it be said that Jesus understands our struggles when He was never in the exact same situations that I am in?” Good question. He was never married, so He didn’t struggle with a marriage relationship. He never had physical children, so does He know the hardships of parenting? The list of particulars can go on and on. The answer went something like this:
Pretend there is a piano. If I play every key on that piano, in some song or another, has every key been touched? Probably so. Do I need to play every song that has ever been written to say that every key has been touched? Probably not. And so it goes with our struggles. Jesus experienced every emotion and every struggle that we face. The details may look different, but He has felt sadness, loneliness, hurt, betrayal, physical pain, loss, anger, temptation, frustration, heartache and everything in between. Just as I can have compassion for you about your struggles with the same sin I have faced, even though the details are different, so can Jesus.
The beautiful part is the REASON Jesus experienced all of these things. He did this so that he can help us. He sacrificed His life to allow us to have a restored relationship with the Father. But it’s more than that. His example can help us here and now. We can look to Him for how to handle any difficulty we face. Jesus left the earth so that we could have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, who can help us remember Scripture, can intercede for us, can place urgings on our heart to know how to proceed (and when to wait). Jesus is here to help us. Maybe all we need to do is humble ourselves and ask Him for help.
Journal Prompts
Answer only the questions that seem relevant to you today.
What is something you are tempted with or struggling with today?
How did Jesus suffer with something similar? (If in doubt, go to the “Topical Bible” on openbible.info and do a search.)
What help is Jesus offering you today?
How can you humble yourself enough to ask for help today?