HE IS…Man of Sorrows

Have we not learned Your lessons of the valley by now? We are so tired, Lord. Sorrows roll over us like waves slamming the shore. They feel unending.

How long must we wake with grief pounding in our hearts? Fresh grief kicks up old grief and it all feels so dark. Will our lives ever feel at peace?

It feels like things get worse each year, never better, never easier. Will You ever bring relief?

Haven’t we suffered enough?

We beg You to look down at us- at the losses and broken places, the grief and the ache and say enough.

ENOUGH.

We beg You to say it.
Blow the whistle.
Call for a Season of Rest.

But even still, we choose to trust You. It sounds crazy but it’s soul-level true. Because one day suffering near to You has PROVEN more lovely, more secure, more peaceful than the days we’ve wandered in the bitter, barren woods of Our Own Way.

There is no peace apart from You.
Even from the pit of Death Valley,
your presence warms and steadies us.

Because here’s what we remember—
on the cross, Jesus, You really did suffer
every
last
drop.

All our pain, all our deserved wrath, all our sin placed on You, our dear Man of Sorrows. You were despised, rejected, and abused. You wore loneliness like a robe and were abandoned by those you loved the most. You were betrayed by a kiss—just like me. But unlike me, you suffered to the uttermost degree. My suffering is a mere shadow compared to all you endured.

And because of your total suffering, our suffering will always be “light and momentary” (2 Cor 4:17). Our pain feels like too much, but when we set our eyes on you, Jesus, we remember this truth:

You suffered so that our suffering would only ever go so far. Our suffering will have boundaries and expiration dates because

You
paid
it
ALL.