When Your Heart Breaks

“Comfort zone” is a phrase that has entered our vocabulary to describe situations we find acceptable. Getting dragged or pushed out of that zone can make us miserable inside and out! When we’re stressed, some of us look for “comfort food” that remind us of happy times and places; usually it is simple fare like a hotdog or a big slice of chocolate cake. Men, especially, have clothes that are comforting, that ragged sweatshirt or pair of jeans they have worn for a decade. Then, too, there is solace to be found in music. Depending on preference, it might be a sad country song about a lost love. an old hymn about heaven, or a concerto from Mozart that touches our soul.

Early this morning, I awakened to crushing sadness. I felt the wetness of tears on my face, though I was not aware that I was crying. The sweetness of prayer allowed me to find the “God of all comfort.” I simply told my Abba that I was broken, that disappointment was great, and He whispered back into my darkness – “I will never leave you, never forsake you. I am the God of all comfort.”  Profound peace settled over me and, in a few moments, sleep returned. Such is the blessing for those who know Him as the “Comforter.”

Many people in this world are crushed and destroyed by their sorrow, because they turn to the wrong places for solace. Addictions may result from seeking comfort in a wine glass or prescription pill. Neurosis may take over when disappointment is allowed to morph into continuous rage. Our bodies will break under the pressures of stress, if we fail to find soul solace.

God’s comfort does not just ‘get us through’ the tough times. He lifts us, strengthens us, and causes us to stand up under the burden of sorrow. Disappointment, missed expectations, tragedy, and even death are unavoidable parts of the human experience. We can just try to survive and get back into our comfort zone, or we can live in those moments, feeling, knowing, learning, growing! How? By trusting God deeply and accepting the comfort of the Holy Spirit.  Our "God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, …  comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God." (2 Corinthians 1:3-4, NIV)

God, the Holy Spirit, is called “the Comforter” in the Word. In the first language of the Bible the word is Parakletos, describing someone who becomes our advocate when life becomes too much to manage on our own. Literally the word means “to come alongside.”  When we turn to Him in prayer, God comes to our side, stands with us, leads us through, gives comfort. Is your heart heavy today? Do other comforts call to you, things that are no real comfort at all?  With the simplest of faith, with a child-like expectation, turn to the Lord.

Here’s the word from the Word.
"Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom.
He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.
Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall;
but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint." (Isaiah 40:28-31, NIV)

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Is your burden heavy

As you bear it all alone?

Does the road you travel

Harbor danger yet unknown?

Are you growing weary

In the struggle of it all?

Jesus will help you

When on His name you call.

He is always there.

Hearing ev'ry prayer,

Faithful and true.

Walking by our side,

In His love we hide,

All the day through.

When you get discouraged

Just remember what to do-

Reach out to Jesus,

He's reaching out to you.

Reach Out To Jesus

© 1968 Bud John Songs, Inc. (Admin. by EMI Christian Music Publishing)

Ralph Carmichael

CCLI License No. 810055

Gone with the Wind

I am reading the autobiography of one of our better known politicians, a man of stature and accomplishment. The book reveals a prideful, opportunistic person, ready to catch whatever wind is blowing at the moment in order to advance himself. If the pronoun “I” were taken out of the book, it would be shorter by half! He seems to think he is the smartest guy to come to Washington in the last quarter century. Full of himself and ready to ignore the counsel of others, he has created some disastrous policies that future generations will most likely judge quite harshly. He is intelligent, but is he wise? In my opinion, that answer is no.

Are you wise? Don’t answer with test scores or certificates of achievement! Look at your character, the fruit of your life.
Ask this: is the world a better place for my passing through it? Are people’s lives enhanced, is beauty created, and is God given His due honor?

The Psalm describes the wise this way. I have used a contemporary translation to deepen the impact. It lacks the poetic beauty of the authorized version, but drives home the point.

"How well God must like you—
you don’t hang out at Sin Saloon,
you don’t slink along Dead-End Road,
you don’t go to Smart-Mouth College.

Instead you thrill to God’s Word,
you chew on Scripture day and night.
You’re a tree replanted in Eden,
bearing fresh fruit every month,
Never dropping a leaf, always in blossom.

You’re not at all like the wicked,
who are mere wind-blown dust—
Without defense in court,
unfit company for innocent people.
God charts the road you take.
The road they take is Skid Row." (Psalm 1, The Message)

The wise person meditate on the Truths of God, letting the Word and Spirit go to the core of their being. From the inside out, they are shaped into a mature, wholesome person. When the droughts and famines of life come (and they will to each of us) wise and well-planted people continue to draw from the living water that springs from Heaven’s artesian well. They do not fail or fall, retreat or shed tears of regret. This Psalm compares them to an oasis in the desert, a place to which others are drawn to be refreshed! Those who are merely smart enough to build a little empire for themselves will be blown away, gone with the wind!

Choosing the way of wisdom is not simple, easy, or even always quickly apparent to our natural vision. But, if we are responsive to God, persistent in knowing His way and obeying it, wisdom will grow in us.

Take this word from the Word today. Read it prayerfully several times before you move on to other thoughts. “My son, if you accept my words and store up my commands within you, turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding, and if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God. For the Lord gives wisdom, and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding. He holds victory in store for the upright, he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless." (Proverbs 2:1-7, NIV)

Would you pray with me today?

Father, Your counsel is my wisdom.

help me to humbly bow my mind to it,

to submit my thoughts, words, and actions

to the ways of holiness.

In an age of smart fools,

make me wise in the ways of eternity.

Protect me from the arrogance of the age.
Spirit of God, may your wisdom
give my life lasting and beautiful fruit

so that my work will not ultimately be

blown away like chaff in the wind.

In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

The dancer I want to be

Somewhere I found suggestion for forming a new bond with my wife. “Take dance lessons. She will love it.” So, I enrolled us for swing dance class at the local fitness center. Really, I did! Our instructors opened the first session by putting on a song and showing us the end result they hoped to teach us to achieve.; two people, moving as one, gracefully across the floor. I loved the beauty of it.  

But, more than 15 years later, I still don't know how to dance with my wife! After two frustrating sessions, I gave up and became a swing dance class drop-out. I did not think much about dancing with Bev until one night at a festival where we were sitting in the plaza listening to one of the big bands. Terry and Lisa started to dance together... and could they dance! They were beautiful to watch. I felt genuine envy that night.

There are two primary reasons I still can't dance.  

First, I am self-conscious and won't just 'let myself go.’ 

Second, I am over thinking the dance; trying to break down each movement into tiny parts rather than just moving into the music. To become a dancer, I have to give up control and come under the influence of the music as well as becoming more responsive to the movement of my partner. It isn't happening, yet!

Living as a Spirit-filled Christian has real parallels to a couple in a beautiful dance!  

The Bible says, (Galatians 5:25) “Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.” He invites us to a dance of life. Some of just will not let go and let Him lead. We wrestle with the music, finding the rhythm for a while, then reasserting our control. Others surrender to Him and move gracefully through life, dancing beautifully through disappointment, financial challenges, ill health, hurricanes, snow storms, traffic jams, and temptation. Yes, those who dance with the Spirit live “grace-fully.”

Simon Peter was called by Jesus to become a disciple. For three years, he didn't get it right. Talk about bad timing. Oh, he tried mightily but, most of the time, things turned out badly. The low point was the night of Jesus' arrest and trial. When warned of impending failure by the Lord, Peter insisted that even if the other disciples failed, "I never will!"
"Ah," Jesus said sadly, "but you will, Peter. Before the rooster announces the dawn, you will deny me three times."   

A few hours later as Jesus was being arrested, Peter pulled out his sword and made an attempt at defending his Friend, succeeding only in cutting off a man's ear, which Jesus promptly healed, as He told Peter, "Put that thing away!" And, later that same night, in the grip of panic in the courtyard of the high priest’s house, Peter was cursing and swearing while emphatically declaring, "I tell you, I never knew him!"

Fifty days later, at Pentecost, we meet a transformed man in Acts, a man dancing with the Spirit! He gives leadership to the emerging group of followers of Jesus, explains the Scripture, preaches on the street, and courageously faces the enemies of the Jesus movement. With grace and beauty he moves through those chapters. How does the Bible account for the difference? Acts 4:8 sums it up, saying "Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, ... "

The life and music of the Spirit filled him up and he began to dance gracefully under the Spirit's influence, moving to the rhythms of Heaven. When he came to the end of himself, when he was crushed beyond hope by his failure, God came with the outpouring of His Spirit. From that day, Peter danced. Yes, he made mistakes now and again, but he was a man of grace and power, who spread the message of Jesus and life across the world!

Are you 'keeping step with the Spirit,' or are you stumbling and bumbling, from fall to failure?
Listen to the music of the Spirit. Give yourself over to His lead. Be filled! And, start to dance!
________________________

I danced in the morning

When the world was begun

And I danced in the moon

And the stars and the sun

And I came down from heaven

And I danced on the earth

At Bethlehem I had My birth

Dance, then, wherever you may be

I am the Lord of the Dance said He

And I'll lead you all

Wherever you may be

And I'll lead you all

In the Dance said He

I danced for the scribe

And the Pharisee

But they would not dance

And they wouldn't follow Me

I danced for the fishermen

For James and John

They came with Me

And the dance went on

I danced on a Friday

When the sky turned black

It's hard to dance

With the devil on your back

They buried My body

And they thought I'd gone

But I am the dance

And I still go on

They cut Me down

And I leapt up high

I am the life

That'll never never die

I'll live in you

If you'll live in Me

I am the Lord

Of the Dance said He

Dance, then, wherever you may be

I am the Lord of the Dance said He

And I'll lead you all

Wherever you may be

And I'll lead you all

In the Dance said He

Lord of the Dance

© 1963 Stainer & Bell Ltd
(Admin. by Hope Publishing Company)

Sydney Bertram Carter

CCLI License No. 810055

 

I'm going to Disney World (not really)

I struggle to reconcile two ideas that seem to compete: work and rest. Either I am resting or I am working, but I cannot do both at the same time, can I?  Yes, I can and I should. Jesus Christ teaches that work and rest are complementary in our lives: “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30, NLT)  He invites me to put on His yoke, which is an object for doing hard work, but then immediately says that in that yoke I will find rest. How can this be?

Part of my confusion grows out of a misunderstanding of work itself.

·         If my work is the means of proving my worth to myself or my friends, I am driven by competition and thus I can never rest for another may become better than I am at what I do, an intolerable outcome for a competitor.

·         If I believe that my work is how I gain God’s approval, I will never relax for He is always present, knowing what I do; and I can never do enough.

·         If I misuse work as a way to create my own world where I can be a little god, obviously there is a problem that needs no further explanation!

The deepest fulfillment in life is found in working effectively within the will and purpose of God! We were not created for leisure. We were made to be stewards of the earth, to work with Him. The Genesis story is often told in a way that makes us think that Adam spent his time lying under a shade tree, eating fruit that fell into his hands. A more careful reading reveals that Adam joined God in the work of the Garden. "The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it." (Genesis 2:15, NIV) That paradise included work. Yet, it did not include exhaustion or burn-out.  So, how do we work the Garden and keep our spirit whole?

Jesus’ words quoted earlier show us the way. Work done with God is renewing. If we submit to His yoke, He will pace us so that we do not run too hard, too far, or too fast in our efforts. In that shared yoke, when the load increases, He leans into it alongside of us. If we do what we do, in the way He teaches us to do it, there is rest for our souls. It sounds so simple and it is, yet we miss that Truth as we focus on deadlines, bottom lines, and productivity. How we work is much more important to God than what we produce. That is why Jesus asks to go to work with us. He wants to save us from empty effort, from exhaustion that comes from trying to make work what it can never be- the means of our salvation and right relationship with our Father.

The ancient song of ascents, sung by pilgrims on their way to Jerusalem, reminds us of the proper order of our work.
"Unless the Lord builds the house, its builders labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchmen stand guard in vain. In vain you rise early and stay up late, toiling for food to eat— for he grants sleep to those he loves." (Psalm 127:1-3, NIV)

Are you exhausted? Has life become more than you can manage?
Before you conclude that you must abandon your work or that you need to head to Disney World for a rest, consider changing the way you work!
 
“Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” (Matthew 11:28-30, The Message)

Soul-soothing Moments, Songs in the Night

Some days bring circumstances that smother us, exhaust us, and break us. With the growing darkness, as the funk deepens, so does the likelihood of destructive behavior. Rational thought retreats, leaving a person at the mercy of his emotions. Despair is fertile soil for weeds like rage, stupidity, and short-sighted decisions!  Temper flares, craving for food, or drink, or sex may arise. But, there is another way, one we learn from a man who hit the bottom of life but did not destroy himself in that moment.

David, who became the beloved poet-king of ancient Israel, lived as a fugitive from the jealous rage of King Saul for many years. He existed on the fringe of society, attracting men of dubious distinction to follow him. They formed a quasi-military force serving as private security at the frontiers. For a time, David and his men moved to the neighboring region of Philistia and served in the employ of the king of the region. They were sent out as raiders and kept a portion of what they found as their pay. During one of their campaigns, the Amalekites raided the village of Ziglag, where the wives and children of David and his men were living.  David came home to a tragic sight! Let’s pick up the story from the Bible. "When (they) saw the ruins and realized what had happened to their families, they wept until they could weep no more. David’s two wives, Ahinoam from Jezreel and Abigail, the widow of Nabal from Carmel, were among those captured. David was now in great danger because all his men were very bitter about losing their sons and daughters, and they began to talk of stoning him.” (1 Samuel 30:3-7, NLT)

David was an outcast for no good reason, a man with a claim to the crown but the hope of ever owning it slim to none, living with riff-raff, earning a living by waging war – it was not a good life but somehow he managed to keep it together until this tragic day. There with the smoking ruins of Ziglag in front of him and the accusatory shouts of his men raining down on him, it all came crashing down. Where was God? Why was all this happening? There is a phrase next up in that story which is worth remembering: “But David found strength in the Lord his God.”  He did not get drunk! He did not run off to Vegas! He went to prayer, pulling away from the noisy shouts of his enraged men. It is not hard to imagine him taking his harp and finding a place alone outside of town, where he sang to God and asked for both help and wisdom. (David and his men did recover their families and their treasure several days later!)

Do you know how to comfort yourself in God?

When tragedy or trouble comes are you able to find solace in worship, peace from His Presence?

One of David’s songs reflects his faith, his hope.

“I will extol the Lord at all times; his praise will always be on my lips.
My soul will boast in the Lord; let the afflicted hear and rejoice.
Glorify the Lord with me; let us exalt his name together.
I sought the Lord, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears.
Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame." (Psalm 34:1-5, NIV)

Knowing when and how to call a personal spiritual retreat reveals both faith and wisdom. Job, whose story of brokenness leaves us horrified, came to the end of himself and looked up to God in worship. Jesus was led to the wilderness and there found himself subjected to intense temptation. His choice? To speak the wisdom of God, the truth of the Psalms. Paul, in spite great sacrifice, was rejected and criticized. He turned to God in worship, singing songs in the night, and God rocked his world. (see Acts 16)  May God, the Spirit of Peace, teach how to walk David’s way and “find strength in the Lord!”

______________

Precious Lord, take my hand,

Lead me on, let me stand,

I am tired, I am weak, I am worn;

Through the storm, through the night,

Lead me on to the light:

Take my hand, precious Lord,

Lead me home.

When the darkness appears

And the night draws near,

And the day is past and gone,

At the river I stand,

Guide my feet, hold my hand:

Take my hand, precious Lord,

Lead me home.

-      Tommy Dorsey, 1932
written after his wife died in childbirth