I have been talking with a young woman who is experiencing a crisis of faith following her mother’s untimely death. She loves God but she is no longer sure she can trust Him. As she told me, “The doctors did their best. We did everything we could do. We fasted and prayed and believed, still mom died. But God did nothing or so it seems to me. How can I trust a God like that?”
So what did I tell her? Nothing. Instead I held her hand and listened. When silent tears stained her cheeks I wept with her. Sometimes the most helpful thing we can do is just be present, physically and emotionally.
“When Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said, ‘Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.’ When Jesus saw her weeping…Jesus wept.”
— John 11:32,33 and 35 (NIV)
Lord Jesus I am praying for all the hurting people who feel like You have let them down. Hold them close to Your heart and comfort them. In Your holy name I pray. Amen.