He draws near to me

This morning, I was reading a few pages from one of my favorite books, Gentle and Lowly by Dane Ortlund. The chapter I began was titled "Able to Sympathize".

Though I only got a few pages into the chapter, the words began to sink deep into my heart and overwhelm it with peace, so i wanted to share.

Dane speaks of Hebrews 4:15 that states, "We do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses."

The idea of this is that Jesus is someone who understands what it's like to struggle and walk through suffering and heartache. Our weaknesses are many, our sin is too. Yet, He understands, and that draws Him near to us.

The last week has been a difficult one, and I think on hard days it is often hard to draw near to anyone, to open up our Bibles, to reach out and ask for help. I find that often on my hardest days it is difficult to spend intentional time with God when even just focusing is exhausting. And my mind is quick to assume that even in my exhaustion I needed to do more to reach out to God that day, that I needed to swim to the cusp of the ocean top to grab onto that lifeline He has for me.

That is not at all the case. The chapter goes on to remind us of Jesus' life here on earth. Not some other world, not some make believe story. Here. On the very earth we reside on. He felt and experienced the brokenness too. He felt was it was like to lose loved ones, to see sickness and death, to see others struggle with demons. He was abandoned by those close to Him, betrayed, beaten, misunderstood, perceived as a lunatic, and ultimately murdered.

He gets it.

I think if any of us have walked through hard seasons, we are drawn to those we later encounter who are walking through the same pain we experienced. Whether it be death, mental health struggles, heartache, illness, or tragedy. Shared experiences draw us to each other in love and understanding.

This is how Christ feels towards us.

He knows what it is like to be tempted, though He did not sin, He experienced the temptation we get on this earth. He knows it is hard.

He understands what it is like to be hurt by those near to you, and to experience the depths of all brokenness this world has to offer.

And He chose to step into that with us so that He could be a God who understands. A God who doesn't just say He is with us, but has walked the same journey through the valley of the shadow of death that we walk.

No one understands your suffering greater than the one who has endured the same suffering. And He chose this.

He could have chose to never come to earth to meet us in our brokenness. To stay away if our brokenness was too great.

But instead of us having to bridge the gap to Him while we drowned in the ocean of our brokenness and sin, He came to us.

He came to you.

Often on hard days, I feel the need to reach out to God as though He is so far away, in hopes that maybe if I can pull it together enough to read the Bible that day or pray that He will meet me in my suffering.

I have been so wrong about this.

On the hard days, God draws near to me without me needing to do anything.

He understands that on the hard days it's often hard for me to draw near to anyone. Yet, the truth is, He always draws near to me. On your hardest days, He is nearest to you, even with nothing of your own doing.

it is His heart, He understands my suffering and it draws Him near to me.

And He wants to draw near to you too.

Psalm 23:4 (ESV)

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,

I will fear no evil,

for you are with me;

your rod and your staff,

they comfort me."

Psalm 34:18

The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.