Have you ever wondered if God hears your cries and wants to come close to offer you comfort and hope in your need? He does.

My cries for God to come close and comfort my friends in their loss

In the last three weeks I have cried out to God to come down and meet dear friends as they face the grief of losing their daughter and sister to cancer. My husband now prays God to come down close on behalf of a dear friend who’s brother lost his final battle with cancer. I often cry out for God to come close, and have often experienced his reply by drawing near to me in my pain.

I found this song a few weeks ago, It gives words to my pain and cries for God to come close and meet me here. (Emmanuel, also spelled Immanuel, is a Hebrew word used in both the Old and New Testaments describing Jesus as ‘God with us’.)

Do you need God to come close and meet you in your pain?

Maybe your struggle isn’t the pain of death. Maybe your cry is because of abuse, abandonment, or neglect. Maybe it’s anxiety or depression, or thoughts of suicide. Maybe it’s an addiction that dulls the pain caused by an unfaithful partner, or shame and guilt that won’t go away. Whatever has caused your pain, you need to know that God isn’t far away and that he longs to come close and meet you in your space.

God is fully aware that our rebellion against him altered our view of him and destroyed our union with him. Jesus came so we could experience God’s true character through his life, and then through his death and resurrection make a way to restore our union with God. Our sin (rebellion against God) separated us from him. Jesus’ death paid the legal debt we owed a holy God because of our rebellion. God’s heart has always been restoration and reconciliation. His desire has always been to dwell with us.

I have experienced his nearness and his comfort as my first husband and I raised our adopted son with non-verbal autism. I experienced God’s gentle care through the death of my husband. I’ve felt his presence through church hurt. He’s met me in very personal ways when going through deep rejection. I’ve felt his nearness and peace while my body rebelled against a tumor inflicting much physical anguish several years ago.

God’s heart to come close to you

In his first sermon, Jesus explained why he came:

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released,
that the blind will see,
that the oppressed will be set free,
and that the time of the Lord’s favor has come.

Luke 4:18-19 NLT

This Old Testament prophesy described what Emmanuel would be like, so we would recognize him among all the others proclaiming the ability to rescue us:

He will not shout
or raise his voice in public.
He will not crush the weakest reed
or put out a flickering candle.
He will bring justice to all who have been wronged.
He will not falter or lose heart
until justice prevails throughout the earth.
Even distant lands beyond the sea will wait for his instruction.

Isaiah 42:2-4 NLT

This is Emmanuel’s invitation to you:

Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.”

Matthew 11:28-30 NLT

This is Emmanuel’s promise to express fully the heart of the Father:

Jesus replied, “Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and yet you still don’t know who I am? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father! So why are you asking me to show him to you?

John 14:9 NLT

Don’t delay in crying out to experience the Father’s heart of love and compassion toward you. If, like me, you have experienced the pain of church hurt, don’t assume those who hurt you represent the Father as Jesus proclaimed he would do. People fail. Jesus never fails. Accept his invitation today to come near.

May I pray for Jesus to come close to you?

Dear Lord Jesus, come near to this one today who desperately needs your attention. May they feel your peace and comfort, and may they see your glory and experience your love. In your name, amen.