A Very Bad Day

READ: PSALM 86; 2 CORINTHIANS 1:3-9

Have you had a very bad day recently? The kind of day when you’re late to school or work, forgot your lunch at home, and realized you didn’t turn in an important assignment? Or worse, the kind of day when you get really bad news, and all the sudden your world is turned upside down?

Sadly, very bad days are so very common in our broken world. But God sees all the struggle and pain we go through, and He doesn’t sit idly by. He shares our pain and weeps with us. He invites us to draw near to Him and receive His compassion and comfort. And He provides trusted people who can help shoulder our heavy burdens (Galatians 6:2). The truth is, God made us for community. We can share our problems, and the accompanying feelings we have about them, with trusted people in our lives—people like friends, parents, therapists, pastors, and others. We can also share our problems with Jesus.

Jesus is fully God and fully human, and He knows what it’s like to have a bad day. He experienced the worst day of all when He died on the cross, defeating sin in a very public and painful execution. But He was willing to endure all this pain, ridicule, and betrayal so that everyone who trusts in Him could be with Him and one day be free of bad days once and for all…because He rose again three days later to defeat death too. So, even on our worst days, we can take great comfort in the truth of who Jesus is and what He has done and promises to do.

Whatever you’re going through today, Jesus wants to walk with you through it. He loves you, and He truly cares about what you’re going through. He already knows all about what’s bothering you, and He invites you to tell Him about it. You can talk to Him anytime, and He’ll listen. He will be with you and remind you how much He loves you, no matter what. • A. W. Smith

• What has your week been like? What are some of the tough things that happened? Consider taking a moment to talk with Jesus about these things and how they’ve made you feel.

• In addition to talking to Jesus, who are trusted people in your life you can talk to about these things—such as friends, therapists, parents, pastors, etc.?

I call on you in the day of my distress, for you will answer me. Psalm 86:7 (CSB)