"A voice is heard in Ramah,
weeping and great mourning,
Rachel weeping for her children
and refusing to be comforted,
because they are no more."
Matthew 2:18
Matthew 2:18
The agony of Rachel's suffering mirrors our own. We don't know sometimes, where to lay our grief. It seeps into our hearts, overflows into our lives and overwhelms us because whether it is our own inexplicable pain, or that of those around us, there is no avoiding it. The heart-wrenching agony described in this verse is palpable. It washes over us, and we can feel the bottomless pit of utter despair. In a world torn apart by sorrow, for hearts crying out for relief, there is comfort and solace to be found. Our groans are heard, our tears gathered and held within His loving grasp. He hears our cries and leans in to whisper, "Immanuel."
Immanuel. God with us. Immanuel. Man of sorrows. Immanuel. Acquainted with grief. Immanuel. Carried our sorrows. Immanuel. Wept. Immanuel. The one who will wipe every tear from our eyes. Immanuel. The One who gave up his glory to become the Suffering Servant, who chose to enter into our self-inflicted agony in order to relieve our suffering. Immanuel. The One who became like us in every way so that he could help us in every way. Immanuel. The One who chose to subject himself to indescribable sorrow by us, the ones he came to save. Immanuel. The God of all compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us as no one else can, because he has suffered in every way we have and in ways we never will. Immanuel. The One who reigns in glory and lives in our hearts. Immanuel. The One who promises, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you." Immanuel. The One whose second advent we await, when there will be no more death, no more tears, no more crying, no more pain - when all things will be made new.
Knowing that we are not alone in our pain is comforting, but it is Who is with us that is life-changing. Immanuel. God with us. The miracle of Advent. Listen for his whisper. He is here.