Burdened With Heavy Grief
Nothing stirs the heart of our God more than the soul that is overcome with grief. Grief is defined as “deep sorrow” or “sadness caused by extreme distress.” Isaiah tells us the Lord himself is acquainted with this most wrenching emotion: “He is despised and rejected by men, a Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief” (Isaiah 53:3).
Even in judgment God grieves over his children. The Psalmist makes an incredible statement regarding Israel: “For their sake He remembered His covenant, and relented according to the multitude of His mercies. He also made them to be pitied by all those who carried them away captive” (Psalm 106:45-46). When God sees his children hurting, he not only grieves over them, he makes their enemies pity them!
Perhaps you are burdened with some sort of heavy grief. It could be over someone dear to you who is suffering, in trouble, or hurting. It could be a son or daughter who is backslidden, slowly sinking into the death of sin. Or it could be a loved one facing a severe, looming financial crisis. I say to all: Jesus Christ is moved by your grief.
It is wonderful to have Jesus walking with us through our pain; yet even when a miracle is on the way, there can be delays. Consider the woman who suffered with chronic hemorrhaging and touched the hem of Jesus’ garment for healing. For twelve years she had bled nonstop and she was literally dying a slow death. Luke, a physician, wrote that she “had spent all her livelihood on physicians and could not be healed by any” (Luke 8:43).
“[The woman] came … and touched the border of His garment. And immediately her flow of blood stopped … Jesus said, ‘Somebody touched me, for I perceived power going out from Me’” (8:44-46). Jesus felt this woman’s pain and he met her need when she reached out to him!
Sadly, multitudes of people today are doing just what that woman did — running from place to place looking for answers. They explain their problem again and again, hoping this time they will find relief. All they want is for someone to stop the bleeding in their heart.
When the suffering woman reached out and touched the man Jesus, merely making contact with the hem of his garment, she was instantly healed! The compassion of Jesus flowed out to her and made her whole.