When Jesus saw her weeping and saw the other people wailing with her, a deep anger welled up within Him, and he was deeply troubled. John 11:33
One of the truths about God that I will never get over is that, when we pray, He does not just hear our prayers. He feels them. He is moved by our requests, our dialogue to Him, our hurts, our sorrows, and our joys. He cares about us, and He feels joy when we feel joy. He feels sad when we are sad. In our Bible study today, we are going to talk about this truth and see the one time in the Bible that records Jesus weeping, because He felt the pain of His friends.
Earlier in this chapter, Martha tells Jesus, "If only you had been here, my brother would not have died" (verse 21). Now we are looking at Mary, her sister's, response. She said the exact same thing to Jesus. She fell to her knees and said, "If only you had been here, my brother would not have died" (verse 32). This time, we see a different side of Jesus. You see, because this time, He did not have eloquent words. Instead, He wept. He did not just get teary-eyed or cry a little bit. He wept. Can you imagine the moment? Jesus, the Son of God, weeping at the pain and grief His friends felt. He wept fully knowing the final plan that He was going to raise Lazarus from the dead. Yet, at the moment, He saw His friends' pain and wept openly. My friend, Jesus is with us in our pain. He even feels our pain.
What is the monsoon you are facing? Maybe you have recently received the phone call that no one wants to answer. Maybe you just received the test results no one wants to hear. Perhaps you have recently found yourself in the waiting room at the hospital, helplessly waiting and praying for your loved one. It might be that you are stuck at home in quarantine, wondering why everything seems to be falling apart around you. Let me assure you that God is with you. He is with you in your pain and feels it with you.
My friend, when you face your trials and hardships, you must know that you are not alone. God is with you, feeling your pain and sadness. He cares deeply for you, and He will never leave your side. Spend some time being reminded of this truth by listening to the song I am not Alone by Kari Jobe. As you listen, be encouraged that God is always with you in your pain.
Read John 11:28-37 (NLT)
Then she returned to Mary. She called Mary aside from the mourners and told her, “The Teacher is here and wants to see you.” So Mary immediately went to him.
Jesus had stayed outside the village, at the place where Martha met him. When the people who were at the house consoling Mary saw her leave so hastily, they assumed she was going to Lazarus’s grave to weep. So they followed her there. When Mary arrived and saw Jesus, she fell at his feet and said, “Lord, if only you had been here, my brother would not have died.”
When Jesus saw her weeping and saw the other people wailing with her, a deep anger welled up within him, and he was deeply troubled. “Where have you put him?” he asked them.
They told him, “Lord, come and see.” Then Jesus wept. The people who were standing nearby said, “See how much he loved him!” But some said, “This man healed a blind man. Couldn’t he have kept Lazarus from dying?”
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