Are you sad today? I am not talking about the kind of sad you
feel when your burn your toast or when your favorite sports team loses. The sad
that to which I refer is that deep sorrow of loss or disappointment that sets
in like a persistent fog. In a conversation yesterday, a man shared the sadness
he felt for his 37 year-old son who is an addict slowly killing himself by
inches. His sorrow went deep! When I think about Bev, my late wife, there is a
persistent sadness. It colors just about everything in my life, even after 3
years.
If we talked today, would you tell me of sorrow, too? Perhaps
it is your own - or maybe it is that of those with whom you walk in this world.
Frequently the response to the sorrowful is a good ole’ pat on the back and a jolly,
“Cheer up!” The Proverb reminds us just
how unhelpful that can be. "Singing
cheerful songs to a person whose heart is heavy is as bad as stealing someone’s
jacket in cold weather or rubbing salt in a wound." (Proverbs 25:20,
NLT)
Our world is a broken place.
I hasten to acknowledge that there are many blessings, too. If you are
living in a season of joy and abundance, then sing your praise and joyfully
thank God. But, let’s always remember those who suffer. Compassion is a gift –
both to the one who is sad and to the giver. When we willingly enter into the
experience of another, sharing their sorrow, we are like Jesus. Our Savior, sent with a message hope and
healing to those who are captives of the Evil One, let Himself be moved, felt
deeply, and sacrificed to make life better for the broken. "He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and
familiar with suffering. ... Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our
sorrows." (Isaiah 53:3-4, NIV) His
work is our work. Like Him, I want to let my heart be broken by the
human need that is real.
Whether it is our own sorrow or that of another, we must
meet it with faith. We are reminded that God knows and cares. He is not far
removed, a cruel Being without heart. When he was a refugee, pursued by a
murderous king, David sang this - "My
soul will boast in the LORD; let the afflicted hear and rejoice. … Those who
look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame. … The LORD
is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit."
(Psalm 34:18, NIV) It was not just
poetry. He was filled with hopeful faith!
When Peter failed Jesus miserably on the night of His trial,
he wept bitterly. Later, he went back to Galilee to fish, a broken man filled
with regret and sorrow. God did not abandon him there. John records a beautiful
scene in which the Resurrected Lord found Peter, served him breakfast on the
beach, and spoke words of forgiveness and restoration. He broke Peter’s despair and commissioned him
to a life of service in God’s kingdom! Later
on, Peter wrote to us "Humble
yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due
time. Cast all your anxiety on him because He
cares for you. … And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal
glory in Christ, after you have suffered
a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and
steadfast. To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen." (1 Peter
5:10-11, NIV)
We need never deny the reality of our sorrow. But, we are not
engulfed hopelessly in it, either. Let’s engage ourselves with suffering while
we do the work of Jesus. All the while, we can be sustained by this wonderful
promise, our word from the Word - ". . . they stand in front of God’s
throne and serve him day and night in his Temple. And he who sits on the throne
will give them shelter. They will never again be hungry or thirsty; they will
never be scorched by the heat of the sun. For the Lamb on the throne will be
their Shepherd. He will lead them to springs of life-giving water. And God will
wipe every tear from their eyes." (Revelation 7:15-17, NLT) Oh, Happy Day!
____________________
Jesus! What a friend
for sinners!
Jesus lover of my
soul!
Friends may fail me,
foes assail me;
He, my Savior, makes
me whole.
Hallelujah what a
Savior.
Hallelujah what a
Friend.
Saving, helping,
keeping, loving,
He is with me to the
end.
Jesus! What a strength
in weakness!
Let me hide myself in
Him;
Tempted tried and
sometimes failing,
He, my strength my
victory wins.
Jesus! What a help in
sorrow!
While the billows o'er
me roll,
Even when my heart is
breaking,
He, my Comfort helps
my soul.
Hallelujah what a Savior.
Hallelujah what a Friend.
Saving, helping, keeping, loving,
He is with me to the end.
Our Great Savior- J. Wilbur Chapman © Public Domain
No comments:
Post a Comment