Have you felt misunderstood lately?

Webster’s defines misunderstood as “wrongly or imperfectly understood; not sympathetically appreciated.”

It’s incredibly easy to feel misunderstood in this day and age. Especially during this season of sheltering in place, of life as we know it coming to a screeching halt.

I believe as humans we long to be understood. We want someone to “get it” – to see what we see, the way we see it.

So often we look to the wrong places and people to understand exactly what we’re going through.

The truth is… they can’t. Not completely anyway. Because we’re all unique, and have different experiences and filters, no one can ever exactly fit in your shoes.

But there is One who understands rightly and perfectly. There is One who appreciates sympathetically.

God understands, better than anyone else ever could.

He made you; He formed you. He knit you together in your mother’s womb. He knows you inside and out. He created you. Every detail. He knows your thoughts, your feelings, your motives, your heart. He wired you; He breathed life into you.

I read 1 Chronicles 28:9 and that word “understands” jumped off the page at me.

“And you, my son Solomon, acknowledge the God of your father, and serve Him with wholehearted devotion and with a willing mind, for the Lord searches every heart and understands every desire and every thought. If you seek Him, He will be found by you; but if you forsake Him, He will reject you forever.” – 1 Chronicles‬ ‭28:9‬

God searches every heart; He understands every desire and every thought.

I looked up “understands” on Blue Letter Bible; it’s the Hebrew word biyn (H995). It means “to separate mentally (distinguish), i.e. (generally) understand.”

God can easily distinguish what it is we’re dealing with. He can separate it; He can pull it apart and see all the pieces. He can understand it fully, because He’s acquainted with us in a way that no one else is. He was fully God and became fully human. He who knew no sin became sin for us and overcame sin and death to make a way for us to be with Him.

“The Lord looks from heaven; He sees all the sons of men; from His dwelling place He looks out on all the inhabitants of the earth, He who fashions the hearts of them all, He who understands all their works.” – Psalm 33:13-15

He fashioned each of our hearts, and He understands everything we do.

“O Lord, You have searched me and known me. You know when I sit down and when I rise up; You understand my thought from afar. You scrutinize my path and my lying down, and are intimately acquainted with all my ways. Even before there is a word on my tongue, behold, O Lord, You know it all. You have enclosed me behind and before, and laid Your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is too high, I cannot attain to it.” – Psalm 139:1-6

He searches us and knows us; He understands our thoughts. He is intimately acquainted with every single part of us. What we do. Why we do what we do. How we do it. He understands.

The more I said the word, I started to see the compound. Under + stand.

He understands. And He stands under.

God can stand under the weight on our shoulders. He can bear the pain that we face. He can endure the trial we’re in.

I went to my Dictionary of Word Origins. “The compound verb understand was formed in the centuries immediately preceding the Anglo-Saxon invasions of Britain. It is composed, of course, of under and stand, and the semantic link between ‘standing under’ something and ‘knowing about’ it may be ‘being close to’ it.”

Wow!

He doesn’t just know about what we’re going through; He stands under it with us. He is close to us in it. His nearness and proximity lead to His knowledge and understanding of exactly where we are and what we’re dealing with.

He understands.

He understands because He stands under it with us. Whatever “it” is.

“Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.” – James 1:12

The Greek word for “perseveres” in that verse is one of my favorites – hypomenō (G5278). It means “to stay under, i.e. remain; figuratively, to undergo, i.e. bear (trials), have fortitude, persevere; to remain, i.e. abide, not recede or flee; to endure, bear bravely and calmly.” (For more on persevering, see last year’s blog Keep Going.)

We don’t have to persevere alone; Jesus promised He would be with us always. He stands under the trial with us; we can endure because He’s there with us. He stays under it; He remains faithful and true. He doesn’t flee from our presence; He doesn’t try to escape the trouble. He shows us the way to bear it bravely and calmly. His peace guards our hearts and minds. He teaches us to abide, to trust that He’s sticking close by.

It’s time we stop chasing the things of this world in an effort to make them understand us completely. Yes, your story matters. Yes, your opinion is valuable. But we will always be misunderstood this side of heaven. We can, however, rest in the truth that God understands us. He doesn’t miss a thing; He’s not surprised or caught off guard by us. We can come wholly into His holy presence. We can be open and honest, vulnerable and transparent. He searches our hearts. He understands every fiber in our being (more than we ever could).

God sees you. He hears you. He knows you. He cares about you. He holds you. He loves you.

He understands. And He’s standing under this with you.

💗

This week’s song suggestions:

• Rest On Us – Harvest
• You Know Me – Bethel
• Shelter In – covered by Jon Wright