Words to the hurting

Have you ever had something really good to tell someone, but they were unable to take it in? That seems to be the case with Moses in Exodus 6. God has just told Moses some incredible things. He said, "I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will deliver you from slavery to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great acts of judgment. I will take you to be my people, and I will be your God, and you shall know that I am the Lord your God, who has brought you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. I will bring you into the land that I swore to give to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. I will give it to you for a possession. I am the Lord." Can you imagine how encouraged Moses was when he heard these words from the Lord? Can you imagine the hope they might have engendered in him?
But when he tried to pass them on to the people of Israel, instead of being encouraged, the text says "they did not listen to Moses, because of their broken spirit and harsh slavery." Wow! Moses shares such uplifting news of God's plans to deliver the people, make them His own, and to give them a land, and they do not have the wherewithal to take it in. Their life circumstances are such a burden to them that they seemingly cannot benefit from these good words.
Have you ever spoken to someone in that condition? Have you yourself been in that condition? The truth is life can be a burden. The stresses and strains of modern life can get us down. We can battle with depression and disappointment. Struggles with our children, or our marriage, or finances, or job loss, or difficult colleagues or neighbors can bring us to the point where we are numb to all input, even that which is the answer to our struggles.
So what do you do when you are confronted with a friend who is in this state? Do you avoid telling him the truth that can set them free? No, that is never the answer. It is my experience that even when people don't seem to be benefitting from our words, they may indeed be exactly what they need. I have been told by those who were suicidal that my words were what they needed to hear, though they gave no evidence at the time that they were taking them in at all.
But beyond words, we must realize how important it is to seek to enter into the suffering of the other person and try to ease their pain. Simply being present can be an enormous encouragement. Knowing that someone else understands what we are going through can help us cope.
This truly was the heart of Jesus, who entered our world and became acquainted with our grief, sorrow and infirmity. He is now a very present help in our time of need. He is present as high priest ready to dispense His mercy and grace to those who are in need. He is also present in His people who are called to come alongside the hurting, to speak His words of comfort and hope, and to bear their burdens.
Today may the Lord use us to bring comfort and hope in word and presence to those whose lives are pressing in on them. May Job's words be our confidence: "But he knows the way that I take; when he has tried me, I shall come out as gold."