I was meeting with someone recently, someone who has experienced sever chronic pain for a very long time, for reasons they do not fully understand, nor doctors. It’s heavy, I cannot imagine experiencing chronic pain to points it’s a great challenge to get out of bed some days.

This individual and I have been meeting for some time and recently we decided to invite Immanuel into the pain and disappointment of continuous chronic pain. So this is just what we did, we invited Jesus into the pain processing, and simply wrote down thoughts and reflections that came to mind as we asked Him for His perspective on these questions/prompts:

Journal out thoughts that come to mind as you ask God these questions:

Question 1: I can see you (Genesis 16:13)

Write down observable actions + surroundings as God is describing them back to you “I can see you sitting at this table” “I saw that happen to you”
Write down body movements, sensations, of psychological responses that others might not be able to notice with their bare eyes “I can see your fists are clenched”

Question 2: I can hear you (Genesis 16:11, Gen 21)

Write as God says what He hears from your speech + actions “I can hear you yelling + screaming” “I feel unsure about this situation”
Continue writing about unspoken words in your mind. God recognizes what he hears rom our inner thoughts “I hear you judging yourself” “I hear the deep desires of your heart”

Question 3: I can understand how hard this is for you

Put into words your impression of God’s accurate understanding + how important something is to us. God is able to illuminate our responses and grant us forgiveness, understanding, + comfort. “I can see this is a big deal for you” “this is as big as when your parents announced a divorce”

Question 4: I am glad to be with you + treat your weaknesses tenderly
- Write down what you perceive God might be saying in a loving, tender way. “I am glad to be with you + see your weakness tenderly”
- Peter felt defeated + hopelessly retreated back even after He knew of Jesus' resurrection. Yet Jesus came to Him + invited Him 3 times in parallel to PEter’s 3 denials. Peter was restored once he experienced that Jesus still wanted Him in spite of his weakness. Once we return to Joy with God’s help we can live with Him as children.
Question 5: I can do something about what you’re going through (God showed Hagar His active goodness in her life + also called her to go back to her life as a slave)

Sometimes we find God asking us to do the difficult and hard work of living as His children. The promise of His constant presence, His unfailing love, + His pure goodness will sustain us. “I will help you, I love you, I have you in the palm of my hands”

The result? Peace throughout the body, tears rolling down the face, awe and wonder of “I didn’t know God could speak to my heart in these ways, I feel heard, seen, understood by him”

For me to witness such an experience, was a true joy and privilege. My body felt warm on the inside, my face felt stretched from smiling, I felt grateful to God. These are the moments I can hardly believe I get to do what I do.

Immanuel Journaling resource adapted from the wonderful “Joyful Journey: Listening to Immanuel by E. James Wilder (Author), Anna Kang (Author), John Loppnow (Author), Sungshim Loppnow (Author)