Presence in Our Pain
Day 35 – 30 Mar 26
“Is it nothing to you, all you who pass by? Look and see if there is any sorrow like my sorrow, which was brought upon me,” Lamentations 1:12
As we enter the week leading to the crucifixion, we are given a glimpse of the depth of sorrow that Jesus would endure on the cross—a suffering unlike anything anyone has ever experienced.
In the Garden of Gethsemane, He revealed to His disciples: “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death.” (Mark 14:34)
He was weighed down by the enormity of what lay ahead. In bearing the sin of the world, he would experience separation from the Father—something he had never known. And he would endure it fully.
In my pastoral experience, I have walked with many who carry deep grief—whether from illness, unfulfilled hopes, or the loss of a loved one. One woman shared how she struggled after losing her daughter to cancer. Her sorrow was so overwhelming that she even wrestled with thoughts of ending her life, just to be with her again. Yet she held back, knowing that such a path would not honour God.
The prophet Isaiah describes Jesus as: “a man of suffering, and familiar with pain.” (Isaiah 53:3)
There is purpose in this. Jesus entered into suffering so that He could fully identify with our human weakness. As Hebrews 2:18 reminds us: “Because He himself suffered when He was tempted, He is able to help those who are being tempted.”
He is not distant from our pain—He has walked through it.
And perhaps this is the assurance we need most. In our deepest sorrow, we are not looking for explanations as much as we are longing for presence. Pain goes beyond the mind—it reaches into the heart.
And at that deepest level, Christ meets us and assures us that we are not alone. “Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows.” (Isaiah 53:4)
Don’t lose heart as he is with us in our pain – that makes all the difference.
Revd Ian🙏✝️