“He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. He was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on Him, and by His wounds we are healed.”
—Isaiah 53:3,5, NIV
When the pressures of life mount and the load feels too heavy to carry, often we look to something or someone tangible to lean into as an escape from our emotional weights. We may find temporary distraction from our pain through a relationship, TV show, work, sex, compulsive eating, drinking alcohol, or even excessive exercise.
Recently, through a dream the Holy Spirit revealed to me another way we find escape. In the dream a soldier had just returned from the battlefield. Overwhelmed with pain and hopelessness, he went into a bar and found another person who was experiencing the same deep distress. With a beer in hand, he told his newfound friend, “Let’s just drown our sorrows together!” This burdened soldier found comfort by fellowshipping with someone who was also experiencing pain and hopelessness. Regretfully, the comfort found in sharing negative emotions with someone else is temporary and never life-giving.
Jesus knows the depth of human sorrows. His desire is for the heavy-laden soul to find solace and companionship in Him. He too has experienced profound emotional and physical pain. But in love He carried sorrow to the grave, destroying its power against us. Today He says: “Now that I have shared in your pain, taste of My victory over all these sorrows. Find true companionship in Me. Take comfort in My sacrificed body and blood that destroys your sin and sorrows. Receive My Word to find new hope and eternal joy. I came for you—to carry and defeat the weight of sin and darkness. Won’t you give your burdens to Me today and let Me carry you into the light?” Beloved, true, enduring solace cannot be found in the natural world. Find your healing comfort through companionship with the Man of Sorrows. This loving Shepherd will lead you out of sorrow into everlasting joy.
Thank You, Yeshua, for coming down in love to bear my sin, pain, and suffering. You are my forever Companion. I lean into You today with all of my pain and sorrows. I drink of Your cup of communion and receive the resurrection life and hope that Your blood purchased for me. This is the day that You have made, and I will rejoice and be glad in it!
Cynthia Schneider, From Passover to Pentecost (Lake Mary, FL: Charisma House, 2021), Used by permission.
