“I tell you the truth, you will weep and mourn over what is going to happen to Me, but the world will rejoice. You will grieve, but your grief will suddenly turn to wonderful joy. It will be like a woman suffering the pains of labor. When her child is born, her anguish gives way to joy because she has brought a new baby into the world. So you have sorrow now, but I will see you again; then you will rejoice, and no one can rob you of that joy. (John 16:20-22 NLT)
A dad told the story of his little boy, maybe six years old, who upon seeing his old neighbor sitting alone crying on his porch following the death of his wife, told his dad he was going to go over and visit his neighbor. He was gone for quite a while, but upon his return his dad asked him: “Son, what did you say to our neighbor?” To which the little boy responded, “Oh, nothin’, I just sat down beside him, held his hand and helped him cry.”
When times are hard and pain is deep, we don’t need explanations, we need someone to comfort us with presence, not words; after all, isn’t that what the Holy Spirit, our Comforter, does? Paul addresses this in Romans 8:26-27 when he writes: “And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God’s own will.”
And the beauty of this process is, the Holy Spirit, as He did with the little boy above, guides, empowers, and enables us to sit with those who are hurting and keep our mouths shut, except to silently pray. Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 1:4: “He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us.”
Bob Benson, who died much too soon, whom God had filled with sensitivity and wisdom far beyond his years wrote: “When life caves in, you do not need reasons – you need comfort. You do not need some answers – you need someone. Jesus does not come to us with an explanation – He comes to us with His presence.” Some of his books are still available on Amazon and I highly recommend you check them out. My favorites were “Come Share the Being”, “Laughter in the Walls,” “He Speaks Softly,” and “Something’s Going on Here.” Shortly after his passing his publisher made available “The Stories Bob Benson Used to Tell” that is also still available.
Reading books that point us to Jesus is important in our growth and development as a believer. Even as my Alzheimer’s progresses, I’m always reading at least two good books in addition to my daily reading and searching Scriptures. What are you feeding your heart, mind, and spirit? What’s the focal point of your thoughts when no one is looking? What we think about comes about, so whatever it is, it will show up in how we speak and live. It’s a law, we can’t prevent it, for good or ill.
Why is this important? Because when life caves in we have a reflex mode to which we retreat that will either lead us straight to Jesus, despair or someplace in between. Where is it for you? If it’s not immediately into the arms of your loving Savior, why not correct that right now. Tap on this link and let Ron Hutchcraft walk you through a brief, but powerful explanation of how to know you’re walking with the Lord. You’ll be eternally grateful.
Blessings, Ed 😊
Walking With Jesus 