Long-term chronic illness in myself and my kids has made life difficult.
The traumatic experiences and heartbreak of a neurodivergent child has made life heartbreaking.
A devastating injury that led to a degenerative ankle and the inability to do so much of what I love anymore robbed me of a piece of myself.
Losing our income through unexpected job loss (twice) has made life stressful at its best, and devastating at its worst.
But the moments of God’s apparent silence and absence are the only things that have made life feel truly crushing.
Why? Because if we feel God’s presence and know God at work, we can endure the worst of this world. But if he feels indifferent, distant, and dare I say, cruel, then despair and hopelessness inevitably infiltrate the cracks of our faith.
We wonder—does anyone really understand what it’s like to be me? We wonder: Does anyone really understand what it’s like to be me? More importantly—does Jesus? After all, he’s God. And what does he really think of me as I fumble my way through this world full of sin, sorrow, and hardship in my limited, human frame?
I have been in this place more times than I’d like to admit. I don’t know why God has chosen me for a life of suffering. I won’t pretend there’s been some glorious silver lining that’s shown itself in ever the ugly, horrible, heartbreaking part of my story. But I also won’t deny that the darkest seasons have forced me to wrestle with the Lord in ways I never would have otherwise—in ways that have profoundly changed me.
And I know I’m not the only one.
Job wrestled with doubts. David wrestled questions. Elijah wrestled with despair. Peter wrestled with fear. Paul wrestled with weakness and pain. And I have wrestled with all of the above. You likely have as well. Because the truth is, when life threatens to break you, simply knowing about God isn’t enough. Even believing you will be with Jesus one day in eternity, which is a promised future hope, sometimes falls short of the comfort you need in the palpable moments of earthly struggle and pain.
Personally, I’ve needed assurance that God wasn’t just somewhere “up there”, promising to one day work all things for my good, but that he is with me now. I need to know that he is present, attune, and active as my good Shepherd when darkness descends upon me. I need to know his heart is for me, even when my circumstances don’t seem to be.
Can you relate? If so, you aren’t alone.
But by God’s grace, I can assure you of this as one who’s been there: As painful and unraveling as these seasons of wrestling have been, even when my faith has faltered, Jesus never has. In every part of my limited humanity, he has sustained me and been faithful through it all—even when I couldn’t see it at the time.
He has borne the traumas and griefs I’ve endured at the hands of my son’s neurodivergence and mental illness. He has miraculously empowered me to love and care for my son, moments after I was deeply wounded by his illness. He has given me the strength to endure physical pain that I never knew a body could survive. He has sustained my marriage when we were both so broken we had anything left to give the other. He has held onto me when I was too weary to hold onto him. And he has reminded me of my worth when my weaknesses and limitations said otherwise. Every time—and I mean every singly time— when the light finally dawns on these long seasons of darkness, I find Jesus has been there all along.
That is ultimately why I write. It’s to remind myself of God’s past, present, and future faithfulness, and in turn, hopefully encourage other hearts in the process.
Because no matter what we are facing, we need to know that the Lord isn’t distant and detached from our daily lives, but enters right into the seen and unseen places, the joys and sorrows, and the nitty gritty corners of our humanity as one who’s been there. We need to know without a shadow of a doubt that our Shepherd will coming swinging his staff of protection when the wolves come snarling. We need to know that he draws near to us with tear streaks on his face when we feel shattered by death and evil in this world. And we need to know that he really understands us — even the parts we struggle to make sense of.
Thankfully, we can be confident he does because it’s the very nature of Jesus displayed in the Gospels. And it’s that integral truth that recently began to stir in me a desire to point others to see the heart of God more clearly through the life of Jesus. A desire that eventually led to the humbling opportunity to write about these very truths alongside my dear friend (and co-author of Hope When It Hurts), Kristen Wetherell.
And that is what I want to share with you today. Kristen and I have poured our hearts and souls into the pages of this book, so we are beyond thrilled to finally be able to share it with you. Because no matter what you are walking through, you can be assured of this:
Finding Strength and Comfort in the Savior Who Understands
Publisher: Multnomah
A bit about the contents:
From personal experience, we know that when suffering strikes and God feels distant, many are left wondering if Jesus truly understands their pain. They struggle to know if he truly “gets” what they are going through each and every day.
Jesus Will Meet You There is broken into six sections, traveling through gospel accounts that speak to weakness, fear and shame, loneliness, pain, doubt, and grief. Each chapter is meant to encourage us that Jesus doesn’t stand apart from human weakness and struggle—he steps right into it. Through 25 short, reflective readings, we trace how the life of Jesus reveals the compassionate heart of God for hurting, doubting, and weary people.
We don’t need to merely survive or run from our humanity, and the weaknesses and difficulties that come with it, but we can grow in intimacy with the Savior who fully knows—and still chooses to draw near.
Friends, Kristen and I could not be more excited to share this labor of love with you. Although it won’t officially hit shelves for a few months, you can get a sneak peak of the introduction and first chapter, and pre-order today from your preferred retailer on our landing page (or simply pre-order at one of the links below).
Lastly, if you believe others would be encouraged by this, we would be incredibly grateful if you’d share it with those in your sphere of influence (online, friends, small group, ministry leaders, etc). We know our words don’t have the power to change a person’s life, but our prayer is that God will use these truths to draw many to his life-changing power and presence. To know without a doubt that he is with them and he is for them.
And I pray that you will be reminded today that Jesus is with you and for you as well, even in the messiest, most difficult parts of your humanity.
Because weakness and suffering aren’t the end of your story—they’re the very place Jesus meets you.
Home is around the corner,
Sarah Walton
Pre-order links
Set Apart 