The Lord helped us at Friendship Baptist Church here in Perry, FL last night. I preached from Hebrews 4:14-16 about Jesus Our Great Hugh Priest. The Lord honored His Word and I praise Him for that. Please continue to pray for the meeting as we meet again tonight and tomorrow.

As I studied the text I preached last night, I meditated on the phrase “For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities”, Heb. 4:15. The text is telling us that He sympathizes with us in our trials and our temptations. The phrase “touched with the feeling” literally means to “sympathize”. He knows how we feel. It dawned on me, as I studied the text, that whole God knows everything because He is omniscient, there are many things that God only knows by observation. In other words, He does not know how it feels to lie, to let someone down, or to have to burry a spouse or a parent. Think about that. God, Who knows all things, knows many of them by observation. But, when God became flesh and walked in this earth, John 1:1, 14; Phil 2:5-8, He experienced many of the things He had only observed before. He knows what it is to have no money. He knows what pain feels like, He knows what it is to be abandoned and betrayed. He knows what it feels like to die. He knows these things, not only by observation, but by experience. That means that He can sympathize with us when we face similar trials. He is able to give us grace. He is able to help us through our times of brokenness, pain and suffering. When I think of what He suffered for me; when I think about Him condescending to become a man; when I think about Him going through all the things He endured, just to redeem His people from their sins, I want to praise Him, thank Him and worship Him. He is a wonderful, loving Lord! Think about that and let me know what you think!

Alan