One of the hardest things for parents to do is to watch helplessly as their babies are hurting. When my daughter Missy and her husband took Jenna, my granddaughter, for her baby shots, she was bubbly and smiling, but then, it happened. While her mother held her, the needle, which looked to her as if it were six inches long, pierced her beautiful flesh. The tears flowed, the sobs began, and her loving parents' hearts were broken for her. In her mind, those who had promised to protect her had let her down. Jenna's six-foot-five-inch daddy cried right along with his sweet baby girl. It was the right thing to do for her, but she did not understand.

After Martha's brother died, she confronted Jesus, "Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died." (John 11:32b NKJV) Martha's eyes were moist with tears, but they were also filled with the hurt of betrayal. Jesus could have saved Lazarus, but for his dear friend, he had come too late. Like Martha, we often feel betrayed because we do not see the hand of God at work. With our limited understanding, all we see is betrayal.

At Lazarus's tomb, "Jesus wept." Among many reasons why Jesus felt as He did, I tend to think that He wept for all those who feel betrayed as Martha did. He wept for the times when He was working things out on our behalf, but to us, all we could see was betrayal.

Have you ever felt betrayed by God? You prayed and prayed for the test not to be positive for cancer, but it was. You prayed that your job would hold up, but you got laid off anyway. You prayed that your unjust boss would leave you alone, but she didn't. So many times, you prayed for your son to be healed from a mental disorder, but he is still out on the streets. Where was God when He could have prevented the car accident? Betrayed!

Jesus was no stranger to betrayal Himself. He looked right at Peter who denied Him three times. On the cross, He cried out "My God, why have you forsaken me?" (Matthew 27:46b NKJV) Jesus wept that day because He knows how much it hurts to feel betrayed.

Jenna didn't understand her pain or why she was betrayed, but she did know that her Daddy took her in his big, strong arms and comforted her. He wiped away her tears as he wiped away his own. In this life, we will sometimes look into our Father's eyes and see the tears streaming down His own face but not understand why He would let us go through so much pain. We might look to the heavens and say, "Why, Lord?" Jesus wept for you and me, and today, He is calling us to run back into His strong arms and let Him wipe away our tears.

Prayer: Father God, we know Your power; we know Your mercy, but at times we question why our prayers are not answered. Help us to trust Your love and Your all-knowing heart. Amen.

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About the author:

Jeanie Nihiser <jnihiserj@gmail.com>
Geneseo, New York, USA
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