Years ago, God laid the desperate need of Native American young people on our hearts, and ever since we have been involved with some very special summers on reservations with our On Eagles' Wings teams. We have had moments of unforgettable joy - and some moments of pain and sorrow, too. One of the toughest of those moments was the summer when we heard about Johnny's sudden and tragic death. Johnny was a Lakota young man who we had worked with and had really come to love. In the providence of God, our team was headed for Johnny's reservation in South Dakota when we heard about his death. His parents actually delayed the funeral a couple of days so the On Eagles' Wings team could be there. His Mom said that some of the best days of his life had been with our team.
After the funeral service, everyone went to the burial. It was in a field in a remote corner of the reservation. When the casket was lowered into the grave, the men began to step up one-by-one and they each shoveled some dirt on top of it. It was a moving expression of respect and farewell. Johnny's older brother, Jeremy - who was also part of our team - stood at the head of his brother's grave. Native men don't readily show their feelings, but there was no mistaking the pain and grief on Jeremy's face. But he did have something to lean on. Someone had planted a large, wooden cross at the head of the grave. And I'll never forget that scene - with Jeremy, in his deep soul agony, standing at his brother's grave, just hugging the cross.
The Word of God in Isaiah 53:4-5 says, "Surely He took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows. He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him." If you belong to Jesus Christ, you have a Savior who knows all about sorrow, about being crushed. He's a Savior who still carries the wounds from the cross where He bled and died for our sin.
When you bring your breaking heart to His cross, you look up at a Savior who understands the darkest feelings you have. There is no feeling, no agony, no struggle so deep that Jesus can't feel it, understand it, and help you carry it.
As you stand on grieving ground, don't try to stand on your own. Lean all your weight on the cross of Jesus, where He suffered all the agony of a sin-ravaged world. He is the Savior for times like these.