When tragedy strikes, when the phone rings in the middle of the night, or when the doctor says, "I'm sorry, there's nothing we can do," something inside us cries out to God. We ask where He is in our pain and why He allows suffering to continue when He could stop it.
This question never goes away because suffering breaks us. It shatters us. It makes us wonder if God is good at all. But what does Jesus show us about God's response to our suffering?

In Luke 7:11-17, we find Jesus encountering a funeral procession - a scene filled with pain and questions similar to our own. His response reveals three powerful truths about how God meets us in our suffering.

1. Jesus Sees Your Sorrow
"When the Lord saw her, his heart went out to her." (Luke 7:13)
In this story, a widow had just lost her only son. In that culture, this meant more than just losing a child - it meant losing her financial security, her standing in the community, and her future. She didn't ask Jesus for help. She didn't even know He was there. But Luke tells us, "The Lord saw her."

The original Greek word used here (splecna) indicates that Jesus felt so deeply within His entire being that He was moved with compassion for this woman. He didn't just see a tragic event - He saw a person. He saw her face, her tears, her trembling steps behind the coffin.
This is the first time in Luke's gospel that Jesus is referred to as "the Lord" - the ruler of the universe, the one who spoke galaxies into existence. Yet this same God who holds stars in place bends low enough to see tears on our cheeks.

As Psalm 56:8 reminds us, "You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in a bottle." You may feel invisible in your grief, but you are not unseen.

2. Jesus Steps Into What Others Avoid
"Then he went up and touched the bier they were carrying him on." (Luke 7:14)
In Jewish culture, touching a casket made you ceremonially unclean. Most people stepped back, but Jesus stepped forward. He placed His hand where death was and the procession stopped. He was no longer a bystander - He entered the very place of pain and death.
That's who Jesus is. He isn't afraid of your depression, your doubts, or even your anger toward Him. When everyone else might run away from your questions and hurt, Jesus steps closer in compassion.

The text says "the bearers stood still" - a small detail loaded with meaning. In this culture, funerals were loud and chaotic, with professional mourners wailing constantly. But as Jesus entered, everything stopped. The crying stopped. The movement stopped. The noise stopped.

Jesus interrupts the relentless march of grief. He stops the procession that feels unstoppable, as if to say, "This doesn't have to keep going the way you think it will."

When the flood of pain keeps moving and we feel dragged along with it, we need Jesus to put His hand on our situation and say, "Stop. I am here."

3. Jesus Speaks Life Where Death Has Had the Last Word
"Young man, I say to you, get up!" The dead man sat up and began to talk, and Jesus gave him back to his mother. (Luke 7:14-15)

Jesus doesn't use a formula. He simply says, "Young man, I say to you, get up." And at that moment, death itself had to obey.

In every Gospel account where Jesus faces death, He calls the person by identity. His authority is cosmic, but His call is personal. One commentator noted that if Jesus had not specified "young man," even every grave would have opened at His voice.

Jesus doesn't just raise the dead - He "gave him back to his mother." This isn't just raw power; this is compassion. Jesus restores what grief has taken. He knows the ache of an empty chair at the dinner table and the silence in a room that used to echo with laughter.
When Jesus speaks, even death has to listen. And one day, He will call your name, and the grave will not hold you anymore.

You might be thinking, "But what about those 27 girls in Texas who died in the flood? What about my loved one who wasn't raised from the dead?"
I can't explain why the flood came or why some prayers for healing seem to go unanswered.

But I do believe that the same Jesus who touched the coffin in Nain has not abandoned anyone. He is the same one who said, "I will die and then three days later, I will rise again" - and kept His word.

He is the only one who can look at a funeral and still say with authority, "This isn't the end."

While we may not be able to raise the dead - only God can do that - we can carry the presence of the One who does. Here's how we can apply these truths this week:

• See others in their pain - Don't look away from suffering. Notice the person behind the pain.
• Step into difficult situations - When everyone else avoids someone who is grieving, be the one who moves closer with compassion.
• Speak life - When a coworker says, "I don't know how to keep going," be the voice that says, "God is here, I am here, and we can do this together."

As Proverbs 18:21 reminds us, "The tongue has the power of life and death." This week, choose to echo Jesus' words that speak life into places where death seems to have had the last word.

Questions to Consider:

• Where in my life do I need to invite Jesus to step in and interrupt my grief or pain?
• Who around me is carrying grief that feels too heavy to bear? How can I see them, step toward them, and speak life?
• Do I truly believe that Jesus sees my specific pain, or do I feel invisible to Him?
• How might my perspective on suffering change if I trust that death doesn't have the final word?
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Remember: One day, Jesus will call each of us by name, and the grave will not hold us anymore. Until then, we get to echo His voice of hope in a world full of pain.