You Don't Understand…

Over the years I've had the opportunity to talk to singles about their emotional needs. In my counseling I take Hebrews 2:18 quite literally. The writer states: "Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted." It's hard for us to imagine that the Son of God felt the same emotional needs as every single who has, and will live on the planet—and I mean ALL of the emotional, physical, mental, spiritual needs that we experience.

To truly be able to identify with us Jesus had to experience every need and face every temptation presented to Him to meet those needs inappropriately.

I confess that it boggles the mind to travel down that road in my imagination and to try to picture Jesus looking at a woman and being tempted. It almost feels like blasphemy. But in order for Him to know how we feel, the temptations we face, and to be able to help us face them as He did, He had to have encountered them personally.

And He never sinned.

Knowing that Jesus really does understand our needs empowers trust. He is not ignorant of those deepest desires. They are as personal to Him as they are to us—the Scriptures say that He "suffered" in the midst of His temptations. The bottom falls out of any attempt we might make to excuse sin based on the theory that Jesus doesn't understand, and that if He did understand He'd respond the same way we did.

The best part of all is knowing that at whatever point we are tempted, Jesus has already been there and conquered. With His help so can we.