Fully Familiar
We’re almost all better now, thank God.
A little less than a week ago, my entire little family of four became sick. I’m unsure who succumbed to the dreaded summer cold-bug first – it was either my “Treasure” or my daughter (the Amazing Angela). Either way, before for long Paul B. (my son) and Paul (No Middle Name – yours truly) were also infected and began feeling the “home quarantine” love.
In the midst of blankets; chicken soup; countless tissue wads protruding from one or more nostrils; Echinacea tablets; incessant coughing; intermittent fevers; nasal breathing strips; sneezing; vaporizing rubs; zinc lozenges; and last but not least calling upon the God of all creation and existence with requests for relief via His power to heal, a really cool passage of the world’s number one all-time bestseller came to mind.
Psalm 139:3 says “You scrutinize my path and my lying down and are intimately acquainted with all my ways.” (NASB)
This in turn reminded me of several passages in the book of Hebrews (New Testament) that address Jesus’ familiarity with all types of suffering (Hebrews 2:9, 18; 5:8).
I began to realize that since God the Father is acquainted with all my ways (circumstances, issues, situations, etc.) and God the Son experienced all the agonizing effects I feel when I’m down and/or troubled, He certainly understands how we (His created beings) feel when we experience sickness.
I started imagining Jesus as a child suffering a cold – having a low-grade fever with a runny nose and His mother Mary having to give Him some lamb soup and maybe some analgesic plants leaves they may have used like “Vick’s Vaporizing Rub.”
I realized that my God, Lord and Savior must be fully familiar with all the issues connected to mankind, including how we feel when we’re sick…and with that knowledge, I began to feel better.
This morning when I woke up, I felt some residual effects of the cold still working its way through me but I was reminded that “Dad” knew about it and I was able to move forward.
He’s acquainted with all our ways and fully familiar with everything we face and go through.
Be glad that He is.
Copyright © Paul Schneidmill 2008 All Rights Reserved