Heartbreak!

Do you ever wonder what you really care about? It’s not hard to tell if you ask yourself: what has the greatest potential for heartbreak?  

·    Love your stuff? You will be heartbroken when it is taken away by a thief or decay.

·    Love your family? Then you will dread the inevitable separations that come through growth or death!

·    Love the Lord? You will feel heart break when His Name is disgraced by your sinful failure.
Love your friends? You will feel the pain of rejection like a punch to the gut!

I know the ache of a broken heart.  Sorrow can be so deep that it makes me nauseous, robs my appetite, erases my ability to see the sun. Grief is spiritual, too. It can turn worship into a duty, not a delight. In those time, I hang desperately to the promise of God:   "The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those whose spirits are crushed." (Psalm 34:18, NLT) Is your heart broken today, disciple?

This is not a cliché nor is it just an emotional pat on the back. It is truth to live by: God cares and He understands even that sorrow that defies definition with words!   He does not ask you to ignore your pain, nor does He try to cheer you with jokes or slogans like "The sun will shine again tomorrow!"  He is our Comforter, One who listens when we cry and holds us together with hope.    

Please live cautiously in times of grief. A broken heart leaves us vulnerable to temptation. Many a person in the middle of heartbreak has only deepened his sorrow by seeking solace in the arms of woman other than his wife, by drinking too much, by spending way too much, walking way from a good job, or abandoning faith. Remember, too, it is a short trip from broken to bitter.  It is so easy to justify becoming full of rage and/or vengeful when the heart is filled with grief. When we are tempted to slip into isolation, nursing our grudges and licking our wounds, the Spirit calls us to a better choice: "Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior. Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you." (Ephesians 4:31-32, NLT)  

There is no heartbreak deeper than that which comes when we fail the Lord. The closer we walk with Him, the greater our sorrow if we should fail Him! Don’t say it could not happen to you. Temptation is ever-present. The sinful nature probes our defenses looking for an opening. None other than the ‘man after God’s own heart’ failed terribly. David's heart was broken by his own perfidy.  When his adultery and the murder he planned to cover it up were revealed by Nathan, the prophet, the king's heart was crushed.  His prayer, more of a heart cry, is one of the most beautiful passages in all of the Bible. Psalm 51 is raw, emotional, and full of hope. 

Be it today or tomorrow, each of us will experience heartbreak. This prayer is worthy of having in our memory. It draws us to the highest, the best Comfort.  

"Don’t keep looking at my sins. Remove the stain of my guilt. Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a loyal spirit within me. Do not banish me from your presence, and don’t take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and make me willing to obey you." (Psalm 51:9-12, NLT)  "The sacrifice you desire is a broken spirit. You will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O God." (Psalm 51:17, NLT)

________________________

Great Is Thy Faithfulness

Great is Thy faithfulness

O God my Father

There is no shadow

Of turning with Thee

Thou changest not

Thy compassions they fail not

As Thou hast been

Thou forever wilt be

Great is Thy faithfulness

Great is Thy faithfulness

Morning by morning

New mercies I see

All I have needed

Thy hand hath provided

Great is Thy faithfulness

Lord unto me

© 1923. Renewed 1951 Hope Publishing Company \Thomas Obediah Chisholm | William Marion Runyan

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