God sometimes speaks to me in pop culture references, the silliest of things will open my mind and heart to a point or lesson he wants to teach me. Today, I had the scene from the movie ‘Monty Python and the search for the Holy Grail’ come to mind. It was the scene where King Arthur meets the Black Knight who is guarding the bridge they need to cross. The black Knight reuses passage, and a sword fight ensues. King Arthur gets the better of the Black Knight and whacks his arm off. The Black Knight plays it off as no big deal saying… “Tis but a scratch”!
Of course this is typical silly satire humor, but that’s where God opened my eyes to his word. As I write this, I am currently in a season of great hurt, sorrow and betrayal from a few sources. There are times when the pain is unbearable, where I literally can’t breathe. I cry out to God, and sometimes feel alone and abandoned, even though I know I am not!!!
But, Tis but a scratch!!! Really? It sure feels like a lot more than a scratch!!! It feels like the end of the world, like I may never know joy or happiness again. And as life does, the low blows keep right on coming. So, what does God mean by telling me that it Tis but a scratch???
We live our lives in the here and now. It’s how we perceive space, time and life… in the here and now. But God sees life in the eternal, he is not limited in space and time as we humans are. So God’s perspective is considerably different than ours. He knows our future and is far more interested in preparing our spirits for an eternity with him than what comfort level we are currently at. It is often in the struggles that God does his best work in and through us, but thats a discussion for another blog.
The reality is that since God is focused on eternity and how to prepare us for it, we often miss seeing where he is in our pain and suffering. Such things tend to blind our senses to life beyond our own feelings. THe amazing thing is knowing that God understands how we feel and can empathise with our hurts!
Hebrew 4:15 tells us “For we do not have a high priest (Jesus) who cannot sympathise with our weakness, but one who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.” Some versions say it as “sympathise with our temptation and weakness”. We know Jesus not only faced temptation, but that he also endured all of the great Heartaches we have in life.
Jesus experienced poverty: The Foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head (Matthew 8:20).
Jesus experienced disappointment: O Jerusalem, O Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, just as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you would not have it. (Luke 13:34)
Jesus experienced rejection: As a result of this many of his disciples withdrew and were not walking with him anymore. (John 6:66)
Jesus experienced loneliness: My GOd, My GOd, why have you forsaken me. (Matthew 27:46)
Jesus experienced Sorrow: Then he (Jesus) said to them, “My soul is deeply grieved, to the point of death; remain here and keep watch with me”. (Matthew 6:38)
Jesus knew weariness:and Jacob’s well was there. So Jeusu, being wearied from his journey, was sitting thus by the well… (John 4:6)
What an amazing and powerful revelation!!! We have a God who is not clueless to what it is like to live life as a human on this cruel ball of dust and having to endure pain and suffering. But rather, we have a God who put on flesh and lived life with all the pitfalls and heartaches that we live with. Jesus can truly say to us…”Been there, done that”!!! So when we cry out, we can know that he understands our pain because he himself has felt it too.
It is true that in our toughest times, we are more able to sense and feel the presence of God in our lives. Something about these dark days allows our souls to more clearly see and feel God’s presence and his working in our lives. Jesus tells us in Matthew 11:28 “Come to me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest”. He not only understands our hurts and heartaches, but he also invites us to draw closer to him and to let him take our burdens. He is offering to carry our heaviest burdens, and give us a safe, loving place to heal and find comfort.
The book of Revelation tells us that those who have put their faith in Jesus as Lord and savior will experience life where… “and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain…” This is the eternity God is focusing on for us, a place where we will never ever again be hurting or broken. A place of eternal joy and love.
Please understand that I am not saying your pain and suffering are not real, they most certainly are!!!! I know it hurts, and there are few who can truly understand what you are experiencing at any given moment. I feel that for myself as I type these words! But there is a perspective where what you and I are going through, Tis but a scratch!!! And that is the perspective of the one who loves us best, with complete and unconditional love.
Take your pain, suffering, fears, concerns, hurts, loneliness, lostness, and every other kind of heartache to God!!! He can comfort the aching heart like no other can. And know that he truly understands how you feel, he has been there himself. Lean in hard, cry out in prayer, seek him with all your heart; there is a blessing waiting for you that was custom built for you and what you’re going through.
As you finish reading this, please know that I have prayed for you and your situation. I pray that you seek and find God’s amazing grace; that his comfort wraps around you; that He helps you to see the promise of a better time and place with no more pain. God is timeless and even if you read this 20 years from now, know that God has been holding that prayer in reserve just for you!!!
Restoring Adam 