Sometimes it feels as though God is far away. There is clearly no way God understands what we’re going through right now. How could He even have a clue what its like to live on earth in the twenty-first century, facing the problems that we do on a daily basis.
How often we forget that He created the world we live in. We think because we have a disease, God doesn’t understand what its like. But did Jesus not heal so many that were suffering? Did Jesus not mingle with the most despised people of his day? Did God not understand the mother who suffered a broken heart at the loss of her child? Of course He understands! Even the temptations Satan throws at us on a daily basis…the Lord comprehends our struggles!!!
Next Door Savior is an incredible book that shows just how clearly the Lord understands. He meets us right in our place. He meets us in our mess we call life. Lucado does a brilliant job of showing that the God who created the world knows our pain. He doesn’t just show up in church, he’ll show up right where we are, even if that’s in the worst part of town.
Reading this book came at the perfect time in my life. Losing the life of a baby you never were able to hold is such a gut-wrenching thing. It is often easy to blame God for not understanding our pain and question why He would allow such a thing to happen. Being reminded in these pages that the Lord does understand was so comforting. He knows what it is like to lose a beloved child. He lost His too! Sometimes it feels as though He is so far away, when in reality, He’s right next door. He lives where I live, He goes right where I go. He knows my name, He knows my story, and He is willing to meet me right where I am. Even in my mess.
