My heart felt a familiar sinking as my friend detailed her recent trial. The story was uniquely hers, but it shared elements with my own story and I knew the ache.
Everything in me wanted to help in that moment—but besides listening and letting her know she wasn’t alone, there wasn’t much I could do.
Have you ever been there?
Maybe you can relate to my inability to really help someone I cared about. Or maybe you can relate to my friend, who was looking for a kind of help and hope people weren’t able to supply her. Either way, Hebrews 4:15-16 is good news for us.
There is Someone who can provide the help both we and our loved ones need in times of trouble:
For we don’t have a high priest who can’t be touched with the feeling of our infirmities, but one who has been in all points tempted like we are, yet without sin. Let’s therefore draw near with boldness to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and may find grace for help in time of trouble. “ (WEBBE)
Jesus can both empathize with us and help us practically.
Jesus can empathize:
Verse 15 says, “For we don’t have a high priest who can’t be touched with the feeling of our infirmities, but one who has been in all points tempted like we are…”
You know, I said earlier that “all I could do” for my friend was let her know she wasn’t alone and that I understood, at least in part, what she was going through. But that small act actually isn’t nothing.
All of us need to know someone else feels our pain, so receiving empathy from a friend is a gift.
Receiving empathy from Jesus is even better, though.
He is the perfect comforter, who can relate to the full gamut of our human experience. There is no shade of pain, disappointment or temptation He didn’t face during His time on earth. So, whatever it is that plagues us—or our loved ones—today, we can know: Jesus gets it. He understands our unique struggles and He sidles up to walk with us through them.
In Christ, we will never have to face a single pain, disappointment or temptation alone. And there isn’t a struggle we could encounter that our Savior would not understand. Jesus is “touched with the feeling of our infirmities.” Yet, empathy is not the only thing Jesus wants to give us.
Jesus can help practically:
Notice that Verse 15 says Jesus is the “one who has been in all points tempted like we are, yet without sin.”
That last part is important. As much as Jesus can relate to us, He isn’t merely our peer. He is higher and holier than we are—and that’s a good thing. You see, if Jesus was merely our peer, He could only offer us empathy—a brotherly, “I know what you’re going through and I wish I could change it.” But because Jesus is also God, He can offer us brotherly empathy plus divine help.
Verse 16 continues, “Let’s therefore draw near with boldness to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and may find grace for help in time of trouble.”
Times of trouble come with built-in temptations. They may tempt us to doubt or despair or take matters into our own hands. Yet, in all our heated moments of trouble and temptation, Jesus offers us His help.
Jesus, the One who navigated all of life faithfully, can help us navigate the challenges in our lives, today. His help may appear differently in each instance, but it is always available and it is always sufficient for our needs.
With His help, disappointments don’t have to turn into jaded distrust of the Father. With His help, we can find a way of escape when temptation comes knocking.
So today, if you or a loved one is struggling through a trial and its built-in temptations, run to Jesus. He stands waiting and wanting to help, like a friend, in all our times of trouble. And the best part is, Jesus actually can help us.
With His empathy, mercy and ever-available grace, our High Priest invites us to come and find all we need for life in Him.
May we boldly take Him up on the offer.
This devotion is based on one of the Scriptures from my Advent reading plan: “God With Us.” To receive a copy of the reading plan (and future reading plans), sign up for the email list below. Hope you’ll follow along!
Written by Paige K. Burhans
©2024 Paige K. Burhans
Scriptures taken from the World English Bible British Edition. Public Domain.
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