He Knows, He Loves, He Cares by K. Vonner

“Then all the disciples left him and fled.” ‭‭Mark‬ ‭14‬:‭50‬ ‭NET‬‬

The salvation of God is acquainted with us; He has experienced and had personal knowledge of our griefs and sorrows, but was yet without sin. The salvation of God understands the pain of rejection and what it means to suffer loss. At one point every disciple, every intimate friend, abandoned Him, and He honored the Father through it.

Who are we not to experience grief and sorrow in this world? Will we not suffer for His sake? The salvation of God calls us to life, but not without the need to die completely to self.  Therefore, we rejoice. Our God carries the broken and heals the brokenhearted with love and intentionality, and therefore, He heals us. He is faithful in fulfilling every word and mending us from within. He desires truth in the inward part and will see to it.

Isaiah 53:3-6 (NKJV)

He is despised and rejected by men, A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, [our] faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him. Surely He has borne our griefs And carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed Him stricken, Smitten by God, and afflicted. But He [was] wounded for our transgressions, [He was] bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace [was] upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, everyone, to his own way; And the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.

Hebrews 4:15 (NKJV)

For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all [points] tempted as [we are, yet] without sin.

1 Peter 2:24 (NKJV)

who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness--by whose stripes you were healed.