Tested in Every Way

I, like you, have often thought to myself, "Shouldn't it be easier than this?" Well, shouldn't it? Why is life such a grind sometimes? Why do we have to carry these heavy burdens? Why can't it be easier than this? You've doubtless heard it said that life wasn't meant to be easy, which is all well and good until you find yourself going through a rough patch. Surely if God is indeed God, if He does love us, He wouldn't let us suffer the way we do. It's tempting, isn't it, simply to walk away from the whole God thing? How could He possibly ever understand what I'm going through?! Hebrews 4:15 Jesus, our high priest, is able to understand our weaknesses. When Jesus lived on earth, he was tempted in every way. He was tempted in the same ways we are tempted, but he never sinned. We know that Jesus was despised and rejected, even to the point of being nailed to a cross. But do we really know? Do we get it how much He suffered, what He went through, the very real temptation for Him to simply walk away? Yet He persisted, and through it all He experienced firsthand everything that you and I go through … and then some. Look, I don't know why life's so tough some days. There aren't any nice, neat, trite little answers to that; no quick fixes; no magic wand to wave to make it all go away. But what I do know is this: that Jesus understands our weaknesses because He was tried and tempted in every way, just as we are. That's a huge comfort to me and to you too I hope, because that's God's Word. Fresh … for you … today.