³ Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all consolation, ⁴ who consoles us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to console those who are in any affliction with the consolation with which we ourselves are consoled by God. (2 Corinthians 1:3-4)

A couple of years ago (2011) I had my second miscarriage. To say that I was devastated is an understatement: I was a wreck, emotionally and physically. I had fought so hard to keep that baby and still lost. Walked in the hospital pregnant, left unpregnant (is that even an English word) and without a child ???

In the days, weeks and months that followed I went through the stages of grief that is best described by the diagram below: My experience

It is in one of those days of mumbo jambo that God comforted me in a way that completely burnt all my arguments into smithereens. I was arguing with God, giving Him a piece of my mind (yes, remember Job ??, I learnt from the best) on how He needs to give me space to grieve my son and how He clearly has no idea what I was going through.

And He interrupted me with a resounding: “I do: I know exactly what you are going through”

I retorted, “how would you? You have never lost a child”

He spoke so calmly yet reassuringly and with such finality to me: “I have lost a child. I lost my Son on the cross”

what!!!!!!!!

I had never, ever looked at the cross in that way before.

God’s ONLY BEGOTTEN Son died on the cross.

The Great Parent, lost His child

He experienced in a trillion gazzilion times more the pain I was going through.

The comfort, the relief, the peace that flooded my soul and body at that very moment is one I can never be able to express in words. I rested in the everlasting arms of my Father and received His comfort. I felt at one with Him, He knew my pain, He felt my pain, He understood more than I would ever know exactly what I was going through.

And therefore, I comfort others with the same comfort. Others who have lost children, who have lost loved ones: God knows, God understands and He feels your pain in a way that you will never know. Rest in His comfort.

¹⁴ Since, then, we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast to our confession. ¹⁵ For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who in every respect has been tested^[d] as we are, yet without sin. ¹⁶ Let us therefore approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. (Hebrews 4:14-16)

Talking about God the Father, reminds of of our High Priest Jesus Christ.

A few years ago i was reading Jon Eareckson Tada, amazing woman. She just celebrated God’s grace to her, this year (2017) its been 50 years since the fateful accident that caused her to be a paraplegic for life, confined to a wheel chair. One day she fell down on her kitchen floor and wasn’t able to reach out to a glass of water. And she was distraught, wondering if God really understood her struggles at that very moment in time. And God was reassuring her that He understood and she asked Him how. “When did you eve need a drink and could not get it”.

The cross!

At the cross, Christ our High Priest was thirsty. But He was high up on that rugged, wooden cross. Hands pinned end to end on the cross and feet nailed together at the bottom: The Son of God was thirsty and could not get Himself a drink.

Think about that for a minute . . .

In our weaknesses, whatever they may be: In our day of trials and temptations: At our lowest point

We are not alone. The God of all comfort reaches out to us and offers His comfort

Jesus Christ our High Priest who has been through all we will ever go through and came out victoriously has made a way for us to go to the Father that we may find grace and mercy in our time of need.

Will you accept the invitation?

Will you receive the comfort?

Will you approach the throne of grace?