Posted on December 7, 2023 by Elizabeth Welte in Freedom Fighters
When my heart hurts…
The one thing that Jesus knows best about is a broken heart. I can’t imagine the hurt He must have felt as those who He came to save rejected His love with great pride and animosity. Twice we are told that He wept over the suffering of others; if only they had opened their eyes to who He truly was…
When my heart hurts, I have learned to look to Him for comfort and strength. There is no other One who truly understands the pain and from whom a sense of security will come. The only thing that keeps us from knowing His care is our pride. In other words, pride is a form of unbelief and does not like to trust in God for His future grace. Faith, on the other hand, admits the need for help. Pride won’t. Faith banks on God to give help. Pride won’t. Faith casts anxieties on God. Pride won’t. (Piper)
God’s Word tells us “humble ourselves under God’s mighty hand that He may lift you up at the right time”. It goes on to tell us how to do this, by “casting all our anxieties and cares on Him, because He cares for you.” (1 Peter 5:6-7) The trials of this life force us to realize that Jesus is all we need. Unfortunately, most won’t relent to this truth until “Jesus is all they have.”
When God says “cast all your anxieties and cares”, He means your relationships, finances, vocation, family, losses, gains, health, desires, and most importantly… your will to control all these things in your limited strength and understanding. He desires to pour so much into your life that you will be like “a cup that runneth over.” But you must humble yourself and open wide your heart to receive it; He will not force Himself on you, that’s not what love does.
Do you hurt today? Is your heart broken? Turn to Jesus who came to seek and to save that which is lost and hurting… That’s you. He stands at the door to your heart, asking you to let Him in. Please let Him in, you won’t regret it a single moment.
Choose wisely…
“Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” (2 Corinthians 4:16-18)
Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in His wonderful face;
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim In the light of His glory and grace.
Praying 4 U
Written by David Brown: David Brown is a husband, father, grandfather, Pastor with a Masters of Religious Studies and a Professor of Philosophy and Comparative Religions. Dave is the Associate Pastor of Pemberton’s First Baptist Church. He is the author of two devotional books, “From a Chair by the Window.” And “#PrayerWinsThe Day”.
Think About This: “The Father promises us the Holy Spirit so He can take us into a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ—not into religion or a list of rules or a format.” ― John Ramirez
The Daily Bible Reading: Rom 6-8. You can download our 2023 Daily Bible Reading Plan by clicking here.
This Week’s Verse to Memorize: “Now may the God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you complete in every good work to do His will, working in you what is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.” Hebrews 13:20-21
Consider a retreat at America’s Keswick retreat center.
