‘As the deer pants for streams of water so my soul pants for you, O God’. (Psalm 42:1)‘For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus’ (1 Timothy 2:5 NIV)
When confronted with death and serious illness, as has been the case recently in the London area congregations, a common question is ‘does God empathise with my situation?’
It is here that Christ’s ascension can come to our aid. In returning to his Father, the risen Jesus took with him the fullness of the human experience.
The God who came to live amongst us experienced suffering and even death itself, experiences that were not forgotten and left behind after 33 years on earth.
Jesus ascended as the God/man and carried all he had gone through to the very throne of the universe, so that he could relate to us in our pain.
As a result, we have no reason to doubt that God intimately understands our human struggles and sorrows.
That’s why the writer of Hebrews can say that we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathise with our weaknesses, and that we can approach the throne of grace with boldness receiving mercy and grace to help us in our time of need (Hebrews 4:14–16)
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Through Jesus’ ascension we are assured of the permanence of the human experience in the heart of God which is a source of great comfort and strength to all who are suffering.
Have a good week looking to the ascended Christ,
Pastor Barry
