Jesus Knows About Your Suffering

Scripture Reading: John 11: 1-16

Focus Verses John 11: 3-4 “Lord, the one you love is sick.  When He heard this, Jesus said, this sickness will not end in death.  No, it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.”

For most of us we don’t need to look very far to see someone that is ill.  Maybe it’s your parent, child, or even a close friend, or maybe yourself.  Sickness is something that happens in our lives because we are human.  Often it is the source of our fears and anxiety. 

As a believer in Christ we are invited to take our pain, sickness, and suffering to Jesus.  Many people have taken this path before you did.  And many have endured more sever suffering than you.  In fact no one knows about your suffering more than Jesus.  He suffered too, but we must remember that His suffering led to an empty tomb.  The suffering you are going through today is not the end.  As believers in Jesus we have so much more to look forward to.  Do you believe this?  John 11:35 says “Jesus wept.”  He was with his friends, Mary and Martha, who were weeping and it's possible that His weeping was compassion for their suffering.  (A demonstration of Romans 12:15) He knows our suffering.

As we look at the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, God is saying “do you trust Me?”  We are never forgotten or left alone in our suffering.  We can trust that in our suffering God is able to bring about our healing if He chooses.  You may feel abandoned or forgotten.  Maybe you think there is no end in sight.  God knows what you are going through.  He suffered too, even to the point of death.  It is a mystery of our faith how Jesus died, and then was raised to life, but we also know He is coming again, and we will be raised with Him.  Let us rejoice in Him, no matter what suffering we are going through right now.

Bobby Johnson
Interlocking Ministries