“And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.” - Romans 8:38-39
I had just moved to a new town that was a lot smaller than anywhere I had ever lived. I started a new job, which included a major increase in responsibility. We bought a new house, moved our kids into a new preschool, and left all our friends behind.
Oh, I forgot to add one thing: I couldn’t sleep.
Whenever I tried to go to bed, an overwhelming sense of anxiety came upon me. I couldn’t get my heart and mind to slow down, and each night, only sheer exhaustion and fervent prayer could get me to sleep - typically for only 3 hours per night.
I had never battled anxiety before and had no idea what a panic attack was, but over those few weeks, I was getting a crash course.
At the first meeting with my board (I’m a pastor), they asked me if there was anything they could pray about for me. Not knowing any of them well yet, I paused, trying to discern whether I could be this vulnerable this fast. Who wants to tell the people who hired them that accepting the job has produced panic and anxiety?!
I decided to open up and shared what I was experiencing. I didn’t know what to expect, but what I found were smiles and hugs. They laid hands on me and prayed for me, with compassion and without judgment. That night began some incredible friendships.
My experience with anxiety gave me a new appreciation for Jesus’ final night before his crucifixion. Matthew 22:45 tells us that he felt such angst about going to the cross, that while praying he sweat drops of blood. Medical experts now believe that the capillaries in his forehead broke because of stress, mixing his sweat with blood in a process known as hematohidrosis.
I never sweat blood during my transition, but I struggled like I never had before. In reading about Jesus’ time in the garden on Holy Thursday, I began to think about how Jesus was both a safe person to bring my struggles to and Someone who could overcome my struggles.
That isn’t just my experience, though. It was the experience of many people he met during his life and public ministry.
In Mark 5, we read the story of a woman who had been struggling for over a decade. She had tried to overcome her struggle, but her efforts had only made things worse.
“A woman in the crowd had suffered for twelve years with constant bleeding. She had suffered a great deal from many doctors, and over the years she had spent everything she had to pay them, but she had gotten no better. In fact, she had gotten worse. She had heard about Jesus, so she came up behind him through the crowd and touched his robe. For she thought to herself, ‘If I can just touch his robe, I will be healed.’”
When she touched Jesus’ robe, she was healed.
In John 5, we read about a paralyzed man who had been lying beside a pool for 38 years. When Jesus asked him, “Do you want to be healed?” the man replied by listing all of the reasons why his efforts at healing had not worked.
Even the man’s poor answer to the question wasn't a barrier for Jesus, who told him to “stand up, pick up his mat, and walk.” For the first time in four decades of life, the man stood up and did just that.
It was these kinds of experiences that motivated Paul to write these words in Romans 8:38-39.
“And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Jesus is greater than all our struggles. When we embrace this perspective, it changes how we see our struggle and how we relate to Jesus.
If you’re struggling with something today - anxiety, a personal battle, or some deep pain - here’s four practical steps you can take.
1. Pay attention to what’s going on inside you.
Ruth Hailey Barton once wrote, “In fact, to try to press on without paying attention to whatever it is bubbling up from way down deep is the most dangerous thing we could do.”
We need to learn how to pay attention to what’s going on inside of us, instead of ignoring it and pushing it down. Like an overfilled container of soup, when we push down what’s inside of us, it makes a big mess!
2. Look for a way to describe the struggles you’re facing.
We feel more grounded when we can name what we’re feeling. Recently, when I identified my experience as a “wilderness,” suddenly, I felt like I understood what I was going through more clearly. I also saw numerous examples in the Bible of people who met God and were transformed within the wilderness.
What words, metaphors, images, or colors describe your struggle?
3. Take your struggles to Jesus.
If Jesus’ anxiety caused him to sweat blood, He can sympathize with yours and mine. Hebrews 4:16 tells us, “So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.”
4. Trust that Jesus is greater than your struggles.
The Good News of Good Friday and Easter Sunday is summarized in Romans 8:37. “No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.” While our struggles might not end or visibly change today, the promise that we remember during Holy Week is that Jesus has overcome all our struggles and offers us the promise of victory - both in this life and in eternity.
And that’s really good news!
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Scott Savage is a pastor and a writer who believes he has the best last name ever. He leads Cornerstone Church in Prescott, Arizona. Scott is married to Dani and they are the parents of three “little savages.” He is the creator of the Free to Forgive course and you can read more of his writing at scottsavagelive.com.
