Jesus Understands...: 25 Devotions to Remember Jesus Knows How You Feel

By Holly S. McKnight

Through the journey of our life, the road we travel presents each of us with many events and a myriad of emotions. Amidst it all, we may think that no one understands us especially not Jesus.

Holly McKnight has a deep appreciation of this and has discovered that the valleys in our life and the resulting flood of emotions have been either felt by Jesus or addressed by Him in his teaching. In Jesus Understands ... Holly invites us into her journey of faith, and with persistence, determination and a bit of humour helps us to:

See that Jesus experienced or taught about the emotions that we face every day.

Understand that Jesus isn’t a distant stranger but rather a constant companion on whom we can rely and with whom we can communicate every day, all day. Remember that Jesus lived here too even if there was no Internet, wifi or social media and his experiences are just as real as ours.

Recognize that the comfort and peace that comes from Jesus and His Father are second to none.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Oct 9, 2020
• ISBN: 9781664202559

Holly S. McKnight

Holly McKnight grew up in New Brunswick, Canada and has lived and worked in various parts of Canada and the United States. Her education includes an undergraduate degree in Arts and two Masters degrees, one in Social Work, the other in Information Technology Education in Adult Education. She grew up in a Christian family and made a commitment to the Lord at an early age. While the road brought many highs and lows, the constant rock she relied on was Her Creator and a plan she knew she had to follow. This book came about after another valley and became an expression of worship and gratitude for each and every miracle God provided.

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Copyright © 2020 Holly S. McKnight.

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This book is a work of non-fiction. Unless otherwise noted, the author and the publisher make no explicit guarantees as to the accuracy of the information contained in this book and in some cases, names of people and places have been altered to protect their privacy.

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Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The NIV and New International Version are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™

ISBN: 978-1-6642-0256-6 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-6642-0257-3 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-6642-0255-9 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2020915901

WestBow Press rev. date: 01/04/2021

Table of Contents

Jesus Understands …

1. Loneliness

2. Deceit

3. Impatience

4. Obedience

5. Anxiety

6. Loss

7. Trust

8. Judging

9. Peace

10. Hope

11. Miracles

12. Family

13. Rest in Him

14. Joy

15. Depression and Despair

16. Abundance

17. Love

18. Faith

19. Forgiveness

20. Thanksgiving and Gratitude

21. Uncertainty

22. Isolation

23. Service

24. Promises

25. Healing

Foreword

This book began at the end of a difficult year for me when I was focusing all my attention on finding a new job opportunity that would be a good fit for my education and skillset and would more importantly be the position God wanted me to have. The job eventually appeared and as I was getting prepared to move, yet again, I felt a strong desire to begin writing about the many ways God demonstrated his love and support for me over the past year and beyond. It grew into a collection of topics that surfaced at various times in my life and showed how God’s hand had been on everything I faced over the years. I wanted to share how God’s word can offer the comfort, guidance and focus that we need to get through the really tough times. I think that many people think the Bible is for old people because the stories are all old, about old times. What I have discovered is that no matter what we are facing, someone in scripture has faced something similar and the most important thing is that Jesus knows what we are feeling. He wants us to draw close to him and talk to him every day all day long. When I was looking for work I once again wasn’t sure if I was going to make it because I was so discouraged. I was at a more mature stage in life and facing some interesting attitudes and reactions to my education and experience which I thought was not too bad. There always seemed to be a challenge or hurdle that seemed insurmountable. I found myself turning to specific scripture verses to keep my head on straight, as I put it. I would memorize them and repeat them all day especially when my head would race down the road of…… How am I going to feed myself? How am I going to exist for the rest of my life? How am I going to be upbeat for other people? How am I going to keep myself busy so I don’t go nuts? And various other ridiculous thoughts that travel through our minds when our world is not right. After the job offer came and I felt incredible relief, I was able to get my so called ducks in some semblance of a row and so I started writing and did a little bit every night. By focusing on specific topics I was able to share my experience and then find examples of how Jesus had firsthand knowledge of similar experiences. It eventually became a form of worship to our Lord, as I was able to share the story and then express sincere gratitude for the mercy my Creator has shown me all through the years.

At this point, I have forged ahead to finish this project with the prayer that if something found in these pages helps one person to draw closer to Jesus, or brings some level of comfort to someone who is really struggling, then it was worth the effort. If this brings praise to God then that is the best result.

If this provides some support for you, please know you are being held in the arms of Jesus and you can converse with him anytime. If your mind is racing like mine was, a verse that I repeat both then and now is: Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee. (Isaiah 26:3) It is so important to me that I am able to remain in the peace that God can supply and when I ask for it, my prayers are answered and I immediately feel that peace wash over me. I pray you enjoy that peace of God that passes all understanding as well. May God bless you in every aspect of your life, today and forever.

With All My Love, Holly

Jesus Understands …

Loneliness

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I have lived in many places throughout my life, usually moving because of a new job opportunity or for an education program. I have lived in the country, in the city, in the suburbs, and in two countries. In most cases, I viewed moving as a new adventure and was quite excited to launch into another phase of my life; however, there were a few times when I experienced profound loneliness because I didn’t know many people in the community and felt quite isolated. Recently, I was highly motivated to find a new employment opportunity, but I felt as if I were in a holding pattern because none of the leads I got led to a final job offer. My sense of loneliness led to an extraordinary feeling of aloneness. I was feeling so vulnerable, and there were times I really struggled to keep myself together.

I found a wonderful church with a truly gifted pastor. Almost every time she delivered a sermon, I was teary-eyed and not even sure why I was crying. Except in my heart of hearts, I knew I was crying out to God for guidance. As I read the story of Jesus’s life again, I realized that Jesus must have felt so many of the feelings I have during His life on earth. Think about it. He was born in Bethlehem, and then because of Herod, His parents were directed by God to move to Egypt, where they lived until Herod died. Then God guided them to move to Nazareth, where they lived for many years. As an adult, Jesus moved from Galilee to the Jordan, where He was baptized by John. After this, He was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, where He was tempted by the devil. He fasted for forty days and nights. Later, He lived in Capernaum. That’s a lot of moving around!

I have met many people who, when asked where they are from, are quick to say that they are army brats, meaning their parents served in the military and therefore moved around various bases a lot. For most of these people, it was very difficult to leave a school and community, where they had developed deep friendships, and move to a new area, try to settle into a new school, and make new friends. For some, the loneliness they felt was huge, but as we reflect on the life of Jesus, we learn that He and His family moved around a lot too, and although He was and is the perfect Son of God, He also had a human life and human experiences.

I take great comfort in knowing that Jesus experienced some of the events that I face and probably had similar feelings at one time or another. He would draw nearer to God, and similarly, we can always call upon Jesus to listen to our thoughts and emotions. As we travel along our journey, we are going to face highs and lows, and no matter the place or time or situation, Jesus is always there travelling the road with us. He offers the most compassionate, loving heart to each of us because Jesus understands loneliness. He experienced it on so many levels and is able to give us comfort when we need it most. In my darkest periods of loneliness, I talked with Jesus and poured my heart out to Him, knowing He would take my worries to His Father. I encourage you to do the same, especially when you feel intense loneliness. The truth is that we are not alone. We just need to call on Jesus to sit, stand, or walk next to us and He will.

Dear Jesus,

I ask for your comforting Spirit to draw near to me and help me feel your presence and that I might return to the realization that You are my constant companion. Thank You for understanding me. I love You, Jesus.

Amen.

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Jesus Understands …

Deceit

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I f we look up the meaning of deceit, we get the following definitions:

1. The act or practice of deceiving; concealment or distortion of the truth for the purpose of misleading;

2. An act or device intended to deceive; trick; stratagem;

3. The quality of being deceitful; duplicity; falseness.

Have you ever faced a situation involving deceit? Most of us have to some degree or another, and depending on the source, such events can leave us upset, shocked, or even traumatized. A few years ago, my employer—who was leaving his role at the end of the year because his contract was ending—asked me in a private meeting if I would be interested in his position. It was a well-known fact that he was leaving, so the thought had entered my mind to apply for his position when