God understands us.
Sometimes when a friend tries to offer sympathy, the loneliness of our sorrow pushes them away. They don’t understand, we think. They haven’t experienced what we are going through, and their sympathy seems forced or artificial.
Tragedy brings out this reaction, particularly. Our sorrow is our own, it is easy to believe. No one understands the depth of our suffering and sorrow.
Until we find someone whose experience is worse than our own.
Recently we heard of a young couple, married the day before, who were in a traffic accident that took the life of the husband, and eventually the life of the wife.
I can’t imagine the thoughts and emotions of that couple’s parents. When trying to phrase words to say (because it IS always better to say something, even when such speaking is hard,) I realized that I have not experienced the death of an adult child. It is contrary to all expectations. The depth of their sorrow must be indescribable. What could possibly be said to them by one such as I… when I don’t understand.
But then I recalled another whose adult Son died.
God understands. Because He has experienced.
And He says, “I will never leave you, nor forsake you.” He sings about His rod and staff comforting even in the dark valley of death. He promises that while this couple appears lost to us… to Him they are not lost. But they are with Him. Where they need to be.
He understands.