“For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin.” - Hebrews 4:15

One of the most repeated phrases in the entire Bible is made up of four simple words, words that we all at some point in our lives have likely longed to hear. “You Are Not Alone.” It sounds really sweet, and it’s so good to know, cool God is with me I’m not alone! But, it seems like more often than we would like to admit, we still feel pretty alone in our experiences, don’t we?

What if not being alone means more than a comforting presence? We KNOW He is with us; Isaiah 43 tells us, “When you’re in over your head, I’ll be there with you. When you’re in rough waters, you will not go down. When you’re between a rock and a hard place, it won’t be a dead end— Because I am God, your personal God…” But what if, when He said you are not alone, He also meant that you are not alone in the things you feel, the hurt you’ve experienced, and your struggles? Hebrews tells us that our high priest (Jesus) can empathize with our weaknesses. The book of Isaiah referred to Him as a man of sorrows. Jesus knew what it meant to be exhausted. Jesus wept when his friend Lazarus died. He experienced the heartbreak of betrayal from one of his closest friends, He felt loneliness beyond measure and felt abandoned by God on the cross. He felt his body fail him as he labored for tortured breaths, He became so stressed when faced with the cross that He literally sweat blood. He bled just like we do. Jesus isn’t just with us, He understands us.

Sometimes, the pain and the struggle are only half the battle. I believe that often a decent portion of our fight is against the loneliness and shame we feel for having to struggle at all. But what if, when we faced depression and anxiety, we remembered that He bled too? What if, when it’s been weeks since we felt the Lord lead us anywhere, we remembered He bled too? What if, when our health is failing and we can barely move from the pain, we remembered that He bled too? It doesn’t change the pain, but there is comfort to be found in being understood. My friend, I know there have been nights when life has bled you for all you have left, falling with tears to the bathroom floor like blood and water fell from His side. I know there have been times it took everything within you to not give up, when every part of you wanted to let go. Can I tell you today, you aren’t alone? When you’re tired, when the pain is overwhelming, when you’re anxious, when your heart is broken… He wept too, and He bled too. 

“I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.” Amen.” - Matthew 28:20

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