“When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. “Where have you laid him?” he asked.
“Come and see, Lord,” they replied.
Jesus wept.
John 11 vs 33 – 35
Unfortunately, due to numerous film scripts and song lyrics, the words ‘Jesus wept’, have been somewhat abused over the years; often used in profanity for dramatic effect. And yet, those words tell us so much about our Lord.
Do you ever feel as though God is distant from you? Or that he doesn’t care about what you’re going through? Do you sometimes feel that he is a hard to please and angry God who’s waiting for you to put a step wrong?
I remember going to bed one night a couple of years ago in the most terrible mood. I was angry with a particular situation, and I couldn’t understand why God was allowing me to go through it. I was fed up with God, tired of praying, fairly sure he didn’t care a jot about me, and quite frankly, fed up with life. I can honestly say that was one night when I bitterly resented God. And yet, the Holy Spirit kept telling me he loves me. It was so annoying. The more he professed his love for me, the angrier I became. Afterall, if he loves me so much, then why let me go through what I was going through? I really didn’t want to hear him. But by the next morning, my heart had softened, and I was glad to hear those words. Over time, I came to realise that even during that period, when everything seemed bleak and impossible, God already had a far better path prepared for me.
Our father in heaven, our God and creator of all things, is not a distant and difficult being who we should constantly be fearful of approaching. We should never doubt his love for us. Neither should we doubt his utmost care and attention to even our smallest issues. Why? Because of what Jesus says in John 14 vs 9.
‘Don’t you know me, Phillip? Even after I have been with you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the father.’
In other words, just as Jesus was deeply moved and wept, so was the father.
Remember, Jesus already knew Lazarus would awake again, and yet he cried. He cried because he was moved by their grief. This tells us that Jesus is pure, unadulterated love; just like his father is.
Our father in heaven is deeply moved by what you’re going through. He weeps when you weep, not because he is worried about the outcome or your future, but because he always feels your pain. Even though he has already worked everything out for good, he shares your pain and sorrow because he hates to see you suffer.
God is love. He is a good God, and he loves you with all his heart.