He Knows You Are Suffering, March 11
Daily Reflections from Inside the Cancer Journey
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Written by Elvin McLin
“For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God” (1 Peter 3:18a NIV).
In the still of the night when all is quiet, so quiet you can hear your heart beating, your thoughts settle upon the pain. It may be pain from an emergency surgery, or a tumor spreading like a spilled glass of milk on a kitchen counter in your once unblemished body. The swelling of your arms from IVs inserted into them, black and blue from the bruising. The intrusive catheter dangling from the side of the bed, from endless pieces of plastic tubing. Scarring and pain! Tears begin to flow gently down your cheeks, mimicking the beginning of a spring rain. In those moments, without explanation, you softly cry out, “Jesus!”
The tears increase their flow, like a turn of the faucet calling for more water in the shower. His name escapes your lips, mimicking the rumble of a storm brewing. “Jesus! Jesus!” The sound of your own voice startles you. Your voice breaks the silence of the room like the sound of thunder crashing across an angry sky! Whether your suffering is an unbearable struggle, a stabbing pain or a nagging ache, Jesus knows.
Jesus does not just know you are suffering as if He were a distant observer. He knows you are suffering because He has suffered. It’s easy for us to think that since Jesus is the Son of God, He did not “really” feel pain. That is simply not true. Jesus prayed so hard for God to spare Him the pain of the death ahead of Him, that great drops of blood streamed as sweat down His face! (See Luke 22:44.) Yet He loved you so much that He chose to suffer insurmountable pain to put an end to your death and suffering. Jesus knows suffering, and thankfully, He understands your suffering—because He has suffered too.
Pray: In the middle of my pain and suffering, Lord, hear my prayers asking You for comfort to make it through my cancer journey. Amen.
Your Turn: Have you found comfort in saying Jesus’ name aloud? If so, how has it helped you?
Elvin K. McLin, Cancer Survivor
Elvin is the husband of Dominique. They live in Ellisville, Missouri where they share five beautiful adult children and five beautiful grandchildren. Elvin is an entrepreneur who began his journey with cancer in 2019 with stage three and stage four kidney cancer. As he was healing from the first encounter with cancer, another battle with cancer reared itself in the form of prostate cancer. Elvin has been welcomed by Cancer Companions to become a member of the Board of Directors.
Cancer Companion’s vision for the future is for every person impacted by cancer to know the hope, love, and grace of Jesus and that every oncology team has included faith in their treatment toolbox. By 2033, Cancer Companions will provide 5 million engagements through cancer prayers, scriptures and interactions to those impacted by cancer. Engagements include; social media outreach, e-newsletters, prayer team requests, 30 days of Cancer Prayer event, and volunteer connections.
To learn more about our ministry and the services we provide visit our website by clicking here.
