He Knows Our Pain

25 September 2015

Burgos

He Knows Our Pain

I had a choice to make. It was to take the next 24km walk up to San Juan de Ortega would involve a 450m climb, another Willis Tower height, or to taxi past it to one of Europe’s oldest archeological sites with remains dating back 900,000 years.  You guessed right. The taxi dropped me off at Atapuerca. However, the site did not open for several hours.  I learned that artifacts of the site could be viewed in Burgos, so I moved on for a 24km walk. 

All the way my rather painful knee developed into a howling pain.  I limped along, gave it rests, and stretched for some relief.  I’ve come to believe that my body is now rebelling from all the exertion.  All along this painful walk today I decided to offer up my pains especially for those who asked me to pray for a physical ailment from which they are suffering.

It is quite a thing to pray for yourself when you’re suffering. It is a far richer experience to prayerfully hold the pain of others you care deeply about who are in pain.  These are some of the challenges dear ones face that requested prayers: cancer, dementia, chronic migraines, diabetes, surgery recovery, spinal pain, infertility, depression, severe arthritis, kidney disease, heart condition, back pain, and anemia. It was a list of heavy health issues that people dear to me carry as a life burden. With each painful step and climb I held the image of the person and their pain in my mind’s eye.  “For you, Lord. For you, Lord.” 

We all have or will face health issues.  I walked with that reality today.  But it gave me some relief that I could join my pain with those who are also suffering.  Why? Because He knows our pain. 

The compassion of Christ was intimate with the crippled, the lame, the deaf, the blind, the bleeding, those suffering from demon possession, the diseased, the paralyzed, and the suffering.  I came to imagine the scripture scenes where there was someone so deeply pained with one of these afflictions.  All other people in the scene may have been numb to their suffering, but not Jesus.  He was attentive to the suffering and offered what the Father gave Him to share, a divine love that spilled over into healing. 

We can believe that Jesus knows our pain as well because He embraced these pains in his ministry. Rest assured, He hears our whimpers of pain. He feels our tears of suffering. He has touched the wounds of unthinkable pain. The scriptures attest to these. 

He fully knows our pain also because He suffered a tormenting death as a love offering for us.  I have attached a photo of a sculpture that graphically illustrates Christ on the cross. It was on display at the Cathedral of Santo Domingo in the art museum there. My memory of it replayed in me in full HD color all day during my strained walk.

I share it with you.  Take a strong and long look at the image of Christ’s physical suffering. Take a close look at Jesus’ knees.  I was humbled to know full well that He knew my knee pain. And what about our pains of the past?  Present pains? And rest assured, even our future pains? He knows all our pains.

Even in our suffering we can trust in His care, because He knows.

Deacon Willie, DW