Jesus wept. His friend, Lazarus, had died, and the shortest verse of the Bible says, "Jesus wept." (John 11:35). Jesus knew that He was going to raise Lazarus from the dead. Why then did He weep? It may have been partly, because of the unbelief of the people. I think it was also because Jesus was identifying with the grief of Mary and Martha, the sisters of Lazarus. He felt and cared about their hurt. He was perhaps also distressed that we experience things like sin, sickness, and death in this world.
Dane Ortlund says in his book, Gentle and Lowly, that the Lord Jesus is our intercessor and advocate. He shares with us in our actual experiences, be they grief or joy. He actually feels what we feels. He weeps with us when we weep. He is also right beside us. For those of us who are His children there is a solidarity between Him and us. He defends our cause before the Father, be it sin or distress. He can do this based on His own suffering and death.
When we understand all this, why do we still feel the need to self-advocate? Why worry or fret? Why not just run to the Lord with our heartaches? We can always trust that He is with us and will never forsake us no matter how deep the trial.
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