Notes on Hope Devotional

He Gets Us

Hebrews 4:15
“For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin.”

Over the past few years, a 3-word phrase has grabbed my attention. It’s been a 60-second ad on television during football games, the Super Bowl, and displayed on a sign behind home plate at numerous baseball games. It simply says, “He gets us.”

Today’s verse validates these three words. Jesus, becoming flesh and blood, faced all the realities of being human. As a baby, he cried. As a toddler, he fell. As an adolescent, people misunderstood him. As an adult, he faced disappointment with people, physical pain, mental anguish, persecution, and death.

The verse says, “We do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weakness.” In other words, it says he is able to empathize with our weakness. To empathize means “to vicariously understand, experience, and share another person's feelings, thoughts, and emotional experiences from their point of view.”

Reading this verse and recognizing Jesus “gets me” gives me a deep and immense sense of being seen, heard, known, and understood.

When we’re exhausted, He sees us.
When we’re afraid, He knows.
When we’re in physical pain, He understands.
When we’re grieving, He comforts.
When we’re feeling alone, He is present.

Knowing Jesus identifies, empathizes, and relates to what we are going through offers a sense of being intimately loved. Our brain needs to know it, our mind needs to receive it, and our soul needs to experience it.

In what way do you need to know “He gets you” today?

Dear Lord Jesus,
Thank You for becoming fully human. Help us grasp the reality of Your empathy, grace-filled love, and depth of knowing, seeing, and hearing us.
In Jesus Name, Amen.