The Sympathizing Jesus

He gently leads those that have young.

Isaiah 40:11 NIV

Though brilliant and well liked, young Aurelius Augustine (354–430) lived in utter immorality. For more than three decades, his mother, Monica, prayed for him, following him to Carthage, to Rome, and on to Milan, weeping, pleading, and assaulting heaven with perpetual missiles of prayer. The Lord finally answered in wondrous ways, for Monica’s wild and wayward son became one of the most influential figures in the history of Christianity.

There was never a distraught parent in the Gospels who came to Jesus on behalf of a troubled child and found Him unresponsive. Notice how sympathetically He dealt with the distressed father in John 4:46–54.

But God’s miracles come in many packages, and He deals with us all differently. As we see in the Gospels, for example, Jesus did not always heal in the same way. Sometimes He touched, sometimes He spoke, sometimes He healed in stages, and sometimes He made mud from spittle, smeared it on a blind person’s eyes, and told him to wash it off.

He custom designs His aid to fit our circumstances, to develop our souls, and to meet our needs. If you’re troubled about a loved one today, trust Jesus and await His special miracle for you.