We just got back from taking Caleb to get some blood drawn. He is a bit jaundiced, so they needed to check his bilirubin (ok...that is enough medical jargon). While they were drawing his blood I was standing above him, rubbing his head for comfort (I'm not sure if it was more for my comfort or his). As soon as they pricked his foot, he began to cry...ok scream. I could have stopped them from hurting him. I had the power to stop all of it, but I knew that he needed to hurt. So, instead of stopping them from hurting him, I needed to be with him...comforting, soothing, listening, watching, holding. He needed to hurt.
"Yet it was the LORD's will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the LORD makes his life a guilt offering, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the LORD will prosper in his hand." (Is. 53:10)
The Father had the power to end the pain of His Son, but He knew that the Son needed to hurt. In fact it was His will to crush Him. The Father caused the Son to suffer on our behalf, knowing that it would eventually draw us to Him.
"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the LORD. "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts." (Is. 55:8-9).
At times it will be the Father's will to put us in painful positions. He does have the power to end our pain, and eventhough, we cry out to Him to end it, He doesn't. This is extremely difficult for us to understand. Our thoughts are not His thoughts. His ways are higher than our ways. It is during these times that He is standing above us...comforting, soothing, listening, watching, holding.
Sometimes, we just gotta hurt.
Saturday, June 05, 2004