Who is Jesus? #153

Ten Things Jesus Knows About You

Your Trials

I suppose that we all have been through struggles of some sort in our lives where we felt like not only nobody cared, but nobody knew. That's sort of the way it is in life these days. We seem to hold our struggles inside for fear, I guess, that someone will think we are less than a person because we have problems. The reality is that all of us have struggles."In this world you will have trouble, (John 16:23)." For Christians, just as real is the fact that Jesus knows our struggles.  We used to sing about it. "Jesus knows all about our struggles. He will guide 'till the day is done."

Have we not figured that out, yet? You've seen movies or heard news stories about people who trek out into the wild by themselves and get in some kind of predicament and there is no one to call to for help - no one knows. That's not us! It seems like what we have figured out is that we have to carry these burdens all by ourselves. How insulting to our Lord! How insulting to your church family! He is, as well as we are, here for you. Why don't we get that? The difference between us and Him is He knows anyway!!

The prophet Isaiah says this. “He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering, (53:3)." Of all the wonder of the Messiah that could have been prophesied, and much of it was, the prophet includes He was "familiar with suffering." "...we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are... (Hebrews 4:15)." In some way our struggles bring us into some kind of connection with Jesus. He was/is familiar with trials.

Jesus told the church in Smyrna (Revelation 2:8), "I know your afflictions." He doesn't share with them or us an immediate fix. As a matter of fact He encourages them to "not be afraid" and indicates that more suffering was coming their way (2:10). He then assures them of victory.

I remember Jesus sending His disciples off on a missionary journey and telling them that they would have trials of their own; arrests, beatings, imprisonment. Perhaps we should remember that before we started our journey on this earth Jesus knew we would have struggles. Let's face it, at times life is a struggle. Remember again ."In this world you will have trouble, (John 16:23)."

What do we do? Well, let's not worry in our struggles (Philippians 4:6). Stay close to the One who has expereinced and come through His own trials. Let's lay our struggles at the feet of the one who knows about them in the first place (I Peter 5:7). Go to the throne of grace to find mercy and grace (Hebrews 4:16).

Abraham, Job, Joseph and others can tesitfy to victory after trials. So can we!

He knows your trials.