When a Scripture Gets Stuck in Your Head
Do you ever get a verse stuck on the mind that you haven’t thought about in months (or maybe more) and wonder why you suddenly are pondering/singing that verse on repeat?
“Because He himself suffered when He was tempted, He is able to help those who are being tempted.” – Hebrews 3:18
That’s the song playing over and over in my mind today and I haven’t thought about this verse in a long time. (I looked in my records and it looks like I set it to music in early 2022).
So I had to stop and ask God, “Why are you highlighting this verse??!!” because I believe this is one of the awesome ways the Holy Spirit works in us as we put the scriptures in our hearts and minds.
When I started asking questions, it was like God began to highlight parts of this verse that I had previously skimmed over. It wasn’t just that Jesus was tempted as we are tempted and we can have victory because He had victory… but that He suffered when tempted. That’s the new part God highlighted for me that I’ve never noticed before—being tempted comes with agony and suffering. He deeply felt the burden of the temptation itself. Isn’t that fascinating??
I hope I’m not reading too much into the text, but I am now seeing that Jesus, as fully human, felt that agony of temptation in ways that we feel it. It wasn’t like it was an easy streak for Him just because He was also fully God.
Somehow this epiphany brings me great comfort in my struggles. IT WAS HARD FOR JESUS, too.
And I can see this now, all because God brought a verse to mind. When this happens, I’m going to be quicker to ask, “Why this verse, God?”
Leah Carolan
Pastor of Worship & Media
