READ: PSALM 139:1-3; ISAIAH 53; HEBREWS 4:14-16

I know someone who lost part of his leg due to health issues. Now he has a prosthetic and is able to get around just fine. Seeing him in long pants, you would never guess he has anything going on with his leg. You would have no idea of the struggles he’s faced or the fact that he still has to deal with things now that a person with two good legs would never think about.

You might have an illness that most people don’t know about. This may cause you to act differently at times, and you may feel judged because of it. You might have a mental illness that affects the way you feel but is hidden to those around you. Maybe no one knows the pain you are in or how much you’re struggling to look “normal.”

The world around us thinks they know us based on what they see when spending limited time with us, but they don’t know our background or what is going on inside. The average person would never guess that the man I mentioned has something going on with his leg, and there may be things you’re dealing with that the average person would never know either.

God knows it all, though, and He understands. Your pain is not hidden from Him. God created you and loves you, and He feels your pain with you. Others might not see or understand, but you can know that He does. He will hold you even when others have no idea what is going on. • Emily Acker

• Do you have a painful situation in your life or in your past that nobody knows about? God does not want us to suffer alone. He is with us, holding us in our hurts and offering comfort, strength, and healing. And He also gives us His people, the church. Who are trusted people you could talk to about the difficult situations in your life, such as parents, pastors, youth leaders, or counselors?

• Because of God’s great love and compassion for us, Jesus came to save us. He lived among us as “a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief” (Isaiah 53:3), and He befriended and healed those who were isolated in their suffering. Even when most of the world doesn’t know about your pain, how could it be comforting to know that Jesus sees you and He cares?

• Jesus suffered and died for us, and He rose again so we could be with Him. One day, Jesus will return to restore creation and resurrect His people from the dead, free of injury, illness, and suffering. In the meantime, He is with us through His Spirit, His Word (the Bible), and His people (the church). How could these truths remind us that we are never alone in our suffering?

You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book. Psalm 56:8 (NLT)