An Understanding God

It is hard to understand the struggles of others without having experienced those same struggles. In the midst of difficulty, many people believe that no one else understands them, and it may indeed be true that within their circle of acquaintances no one does. Many have also finally found someone who shares their experience and who really does understand; the level of understanding is almost unbelievable.

While people might not actually state the words, they often believe that God doesn't understand either and doesn't know how hard the trial is for them. God's knowledge of all things is unbounded. His omniscience alone guarantees that He knows; some special Scripture passages reinforce how much He also understands.

"Just as a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear Him. For He Himself knows our frame; He is mindful that we are but dust" (Psalm 103:13-14).

God understands man's weakness because God created man. He knows exactly how weak human substance is, and He understands exactly how the body, mind, and emotions work, because He designed them.

God made man to be social, and He knows it is difficult when interpersonal relations don't go well. God made man with emotions that are impacted by various external and internal stimuli, so He knows the effect on the emotions. God made man with a mind that takes in data from multitudinous sources, so He knows how the mind can struggle when processing that data. God made man with a finite and limited body, so He knows that it can be pushed past its limits.

God knows man's makeup far better than man himself does. God perfectly understands the intricacies of DNA, hormones, brain waves, the nervous system, and every other aspect of man's body. Man is "fearfully and wonderfully made" (Psalm 139:14), but he is also finite, weak, and frail. No one knows that better than the Creator.

"Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself also partook of the same. . . . Therefore, He had to be made like His brethren in all things, so that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. For since He Himself was tempted in that which He has suffered, He is able to come to the aid of those who are tempted" (Hebrews 2:14, 17-18).

Not only does the Creator understand man's weakness, but the Savior also understands man's weakness. The Savior, who experientially knew nothing of weakness, took a man's body and experienced every weakness associated with such a body. The passage above explains why He did that. He had to know what it was like to be a man. He had to live in a human context so that He could understand what humans go through and so that He could come to their aid.

Hebrews 2:10 reveals, "For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things, and through whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to perfect the author of their salvation through sufferings." Jesus was already as perfect as perfection could be - a holy and powerful God in heaven. No one would have expected anything more from a deity than what Jesus was, yet the Savior was made even better through human suffering.

The incarnation of Jesus added another phenomenal layer to His person - that of fully and experientially understanding what life is like for those who are not divine. Jesus was already one hundred percent of what would ever be expected of God, but His suffering in a weak human body added even more greatness.

Jesus' suffering (and subsequent understanding) was complete. He was "tempted in all things as we are" (Hebrews 4:15). Physically, He suffered beyond what man can comprehend. Socially, He was rejected even by His own people and was betrayed by someone from His closest group. Spiritually, He experienced the direct, targeted attack of Satan himself. Emotionally, He was "a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief" (Isaiah 53:3). Ministry-wise, He sacrificed everything and fully dedicated His life to reaching needy people, but they rejected and killed Him. Practically, He had no home of His own, no comforts or possessions, and no provision for meals and lodging. There is no category of suffering that man can undergo for which Jesus does not have firsthand, and often far superior, experience.

This Creator who knows how weak the human body is and this Savior who knows what suffering is like also knows everything that happens to every person. He knows every movement man takes, every thought he has, every path he walks, and every word he speaks before he even speaks it (Psalm 139:2-4). God knows every tiny detail of a man's life and every danger that threatens him (Matthew 10:29-31). The passages above teach that God absolutely knows and thoroughly understands not just the events of life themselves, but also what it is like for man to go through those events.

The greatest wonder of that divine knowledge is what God does with it. If God knew but didn't care, His knowledge wouldn't be very reassuring. If He knew but didn't act, His knowledge would be empty. Far from those disappointing responses, God's understanding prompts the best responses.

When the Creator sees man stumbling in his weak body, He has compassion on him, just as a father would on his hurting child (Psalm 103:13). When the Savior sees man faltering under temptation, He comes to his aid (Hebrews 2:18). This understanding Savior sympathizes with man and knows that he needs help; He graciously offers that help.

"For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses. . . . Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need" (Hebrews 4:15-16).