One morning last week, I was lying awake at 4:00 A.M. When I do that, I like to spend some time in prayer. It’s quiet, and I can almost certainly be guaranteed that I will not be disturbed. I had several in our church family on my mind, and this seemed like a good time to share my concerns and requests with the Father. I was also praying for a grandson that is studying abroad for a time this summer, and he was also on my mind.

Just before I talked myself into getting out of bed, I had a thought about our Lord. I had been giving some thought to prayer and the different ways we use the benefit of prayer. Praying for forgiveness of sins came to mind, and then I had a new thought. We know Jesus was tempted. We have that clearly relayed to us in Matthew 4. We know He continued to be tempted, and we know that from Luke 4:13. But I had never thought about the particular situations in which we know Jesus was tempted (besides Matthew 4). I was surprised as I thought about this that we can identify some ways we know Jesus was tempted and how He handled the situation.

Think about the things that tempt you. They might be gambling, drinking, smoking, lying, cheating, etc. What about those things that happen every day over a lifetime? There are things like the loss of a loved one, the friend that deceives you, fear, anxiety, someone who steals from you, and the anger that comes from some or all of these. If you think about it, Jesus experienced all of these.

Grief can be a terrible thing. Even when we know the loved one or friend is a Christian, it just hurts. Grief can often be seen as a temptation when we blame God or refuse to accept the loss as His will. I know a lady that has been blaming God for years because He did not save her son. Consequently, she doesn’t pray; because she says God doesn’t answer her prayers. Her grief has become a temptation for her to sin.

Jesus experienced grief. When His cousin, John the Baptizer, was beheaded by Herod, Matthew tells us that Jesus’ disciples took John’s body and buried him. Then they went and told Jesus. When He heard it, He got on a boat and went into a deserted place to be alone. He needed to grieve. Don’t you think He was tempted to be angry and want to retaliate? That is not what He did. He simply went away to grieve alone. When the crowds followed Him, He put His grieving aside and taught them.

Jesus certainly suffered the pain of deceitful friends. Judas is at the top of the list. He pretended to be a dedicated follower of Jesus; but in the end, he was just a thief and a betrayer.

At the crucifixion, all of the disciples ran away when the soldiers came. Peter denied that he even knew Jesus, in front of those sitting around the fire watching the accusations against his Lord.

Jesus also became angry when He saw the moneychangers in the temple. He saw His Father’s house being misused, and He overthrew the tables of the moneychangers. He simply stated that His Father’s house was not to be used for thieves. He was angry, but He did not sin.

Even our Lord was not spared anxiety and feelings of loneliness. On the night before He was crucified, He took His three closest friends with Him to pray. He wanted them to watch with Him, but they fell asleep. Three times He went to pray, and all three times His closest friends on earth gave in to their own feelings and slept. Jesus felt truly alone.

Later, as Jesus hung on the cross, He cried out to God. His words are some of the saddest ever spoken; “My God, my god, why have you forsaken me?”

There are no feelings; there are no temptations that we can experience that our Lord did not. He understands, and that is why we need to spend time with the Father every day in prayer. God understands. Jesus understands. They are there even when we think we are alone. We also have the Holy Spirit who intercedes for us when we simply do not know how to express our feelings.

There is a song called, “Does Jesus Care”? The lyrics of this song were written by Frank E. Graeff. It is said that he wrote it because of the difficulties in his life and his dependence on First Peter 5:7. We would all do well to depend on this verse as we face daily struggles, temptations, and grief. “Casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.”

Sandra Oliver