The Human Element of Scripture

When we read through the gospels, perhaps if you like me, one element of the story that we can overlook is the human element at work.
I was reminded of this recently, reading Mark 7:24-30. There we see the historical account of a woman coming to Jesus to ask for healing for her daughter, and as JC Ryle describes,

"The woman who came to our Lord, in the history now before us, must doubtless have been in deep affliction. She saw a beloved child possessed by an unclean spirit. She saw her in a condition in which no teaching could reach the mind, and no medicine could heal the body, - a condition only one degree better than death itself...She prays for one who could not pray for herself, and never rests till her prayer is granted." JC Ryle, Expository Thoughts on Mark, 145

Imagine being this mother, at the end of her rope, with nowhere else to turn for help.

The Scriptures are full of these accounts of real people, facing real struggles and how God cares for them and loves them in the midst. So let us not forget that element as we read the Bible and see real people facing real struggles and take heart that we are not alone in the trials and hardships we face, others have walked before us, and God continues to walk with us.