We get so many letters from our partners concerning the physical abuse that is rampant today. Husbands beating their wives, children attacked by parents, people beaten by strangers on the streets. There is no end to the painful ways that man inflicts physical suffering upon his fellow man.

Morris too, endured physical abuse as a child when he was raised in the Jewish orphanage. It was not the loving ministrations of a father for the sake of instruction, but the form of cruelty and inhumanity that is so commonplace in today's society.

Have you been treated unfairly? Do you have the marks of pain or the scars of cruelty upon your body? Or do you know someone who is enduring this kind of treatment? Does your heart break when you see this happen? Does man's cruelty cause you to question the mercy of God?

Beloved, I don't know why you or the ones you care about have to go through such anguish. But I do know that God will be faithful to meet you in your trial. His mercy is true even if you don't think you see it in operation—and it endures forever.

Jesus also experienced the pain and anguish of physical suffering. Today, He identifies with your suffering and grieves over the pain of His battered loved ones. He will provide the patience to endure, as well as a way of escape.

"If you want to keep from becoming fainthearted and weary, think about His patience as sinful men did such terrible things to Him" (Hebrew 12:3, TLB).