Heartbreak

When she sat down, her posture spoke sadness. As I looked in her face, I saw it – her heart was broken.  A little boy tried hard to conceal his emotions, but his quivering lip betrayed him. Yes, he was sad. I see a lot of sorrow because Pastors live around the raw edge of human experience. In many conversations it is not long before I hear about rejection, disappointment, sorrow, self-doubt, or loss.  I understand, oh so personally, the pain of heartbreak. How would I have survived the depths of my sorrow without those who would listen, who would let my words tumble out with all the messy emotions that go along with it? 
Is your heart broken today?

When heartbreak comes we really do not want explanations, do we? We surely do not want platitudes. We need true compassion, which is more than just empathy. Compassion goes way beyond empathy to not only engage with the other person’s emotion but to enter into their experience and to offer to help appropriately. When Jesus arrived in Bethany after the death of his friend, Lazarus, he did not just empathize with his sisters who were crushed with sorrow. He moved to help – assuring them of the “Resurrection and the Life” that were found in Him. And, then he went to the grave where Lazarus was restored to life. It is a dramatic example but holds a real lesson for us in compassion.  Go, stand with the heartbroken. Don’t just call or send a card. Be present, let your prayers be heard. Be wise and sensitive.

We need to call to mind, with real intention, the fact that God cares and He understands even that sorrow that defies definition with words! He does not ask us to ignore your pain, nor does He try to cheer us 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. And never forget - “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those whose spirits are crushed.” (Psalm 34:18, NLT)

If you are gripped by sorrow - take care! A broken heart leaves us vulnerable to many temptations. In my grief after Bev died, I was tempted to try to forget my pain by eating too much, spending too much, watching television mindlessly. Know this, too. Heartbreak and bitterness are next door neighbors! When our heart is full of grief we may find the slightest irritation turning into anger, and then quickly becoming rage. Don’t let yourself go there! In times of disappointment with people and situations, the Word urges us to something other than licking our wounds. God tells us to be proactive. “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)

Heartbreak isn’t always visited upon us. Sometimes we bring it on ourselves, which deepens the pain as we feel both sorrow and guilt. David’s heart was broken by his own faithlessness. When his sins of adultery and murder were uncovered by Nathan, the prophet, the king’s heart was crushed. His prayer- of understanding, of confession, of heartbreak - is one of the most beautiful passages in all of the Bible. The 51st Psalm is raw, emotional, and full of hope.  Read these words from the Word and make them your prayer of renewal.

“God, make a fresh start in me,

shape a Genesis week from the chaos of my life.

Don’t throw me out with the trash, or fail to breathe holiness in me.

Bring me back from gray exile, put a fresh wind in my sails! …

I learned God-worship when my pride was shattered.

Heart-shattered lives ready for love don’t for a moment escape God’s notice.”

(Psalm 51:9-12, 17, The Message)

_________

Healer Of Broken Hearts

(listen to this old song at this link)

He's the healer of broken hearts

He'll mend your shattered dreams

He'll pick up the threads

Of your broken life

And weave them together again

To your soul He'll bring peace and joy

A Friend in need He'll He'll be

The Healer of broken hearts

Is Jesus of Galilee

Is your life full of heartaches and sadness

Are your dreams all shattered and torn

There is One who through mercy and suff'ring

For you ev'ry sorrow has borne

Do the threads of your life seem so tangled

That you wish you had never been born

There is One who is willing to help you

He knows ev'ry sorrow you've borne

Georgia Stiffler © 1945. Renewed 1972

At the mountain’s peak

There is something special about standing on a high point, looking out over the world.  Several years ago I stood on Pike’s Peak which is 14,110 feet above sea level!  I understood the song America, the Beautiful, the lyrics of which were inspired in Katherine Lee Bates after she climbed that mountain where she looked west to more peaks and east to the great plains. She then wrote “O beautiful for spacious skies, For amber waves of grain, For purple mountain majesties Above the fruited plain!”  When I lived in Western Massachusetts there was a rocky bluff north of town called Monument Mountain, really more of hill, but the climb to the top allowed a person to take in the beauty of the Berkshires. Whether it is Everest, Pikes, or Monument – enjoying the view requires an effort. There is a climb involved.

Life brings us valleys and mountains. When we are led by the Spirit, we can be certain that He has wonders to show us, but getting to the heights demands something of us. Do you want to know the wonder of the mountain top experience? Do you want to find the perspective on life that is unique to standing on in a high place, looking back, gazing forward – seeing the majesty of the Lord?  In those places, we can find God revealed as we have not known Him before. We can see things in ourselves that had been hidden.  But, will we make the climb? The shadow of the mountain, seen from the valley below, can be intimidating!

The Lord summoned Moses to a mountain because He had a revelation waiting for him. "Moses climbed up the mountain, and the cloud covered it. And the glory of the Lord settled down on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it for six days. On the seventh day the Lord called to Moses from inside the cloud. To the Israelites at the foot of the mountain, the glory of the Lord appeared at the summit like a consuming fire. Then Moses disappeared into the cloud as he climbed higher up the mountain. He remained on the mountain forty days and forty nights." (Exodus 24:15-18, NLT) On Mt. Sinai, in God’s Presence, Moses received the Law, the plan for the Tabernacle which was the center of Israel’s worship:  revelations great and wonderful. He was a changed man after that ascent.

John, too, had a revelation in a vision from a mountain top! "And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God. It shone with the glory of God, and its brilliance was like that of a very precious jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal." (Revelation 21:10-11, NIV) From the height of his visionary mountain, John saw the strange and wonderful things that he wrote down for us in the book of the Revelation. And for centuries Christians have read those words and fond hope, the assurance that “God wins!” - the promise of God’s victory over sin and suffering.

In the classic, Pilgrim’s Progress, an allegory about our journey to the Celestial City, John Bunyan wrote of the Delectable Mountains that afford the pilgrims, Christian and Hopeful, a view of their final destination. His insight is clear and instructs us well. From the heights of the mountains we have to climb along the way, we catch glimpses of God’s glory that draw us along.

Are you living in the shadows of the valley right now?

Does some peak stand ahead of you, daring you to scale its heights?

Or are you in the climb, feeling exhausted; seeing only more difficulty as you look ahead?

Keep climbing!  God gives strength to those who call on Him. Walk it out, faithful just for today, if that’s all you can do.
There will be revelation waiting at the summit! 

Here’s  a word from the Word. It’s a promise for those climbing life’s mountains.

"A song for pilgrims ascending to Jerusalem.
I look up to the mountains— does my help come from there?
My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth!" (Psalm 121:1-2, NLT)

"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.
For what is seen is temporary,
but what is unseen is eternal." (2 Corinthians 4:17-18, NIV)

_______________

Abba, I thank you for the mountain top experiences

That reveal new things to me.

As I live in the shadow of the mountain, Lord,

It is sometimes overwhelming to think of the climb

That is ahead.

Steady me.  Teach me to walk with You,

Letting you set the pace, trusting in You

For the strength I need for the journey.

Jesus, grace me with patience and endurance.

Spirit of God, sing the song of the pilgrim to me

Oh lead me to Your holy place.

Amen

The Good Misery of a Guilty Conscience

After feeling the sting of guilt, becoming aware of failure, I prayed - “Father, thank you for making me miserable. You have preserved my life with your convicting Presence.” Yes, it may seem strange to thank God for a guilty conscience. However, those feelings of shame and guilt over thoughts, words, or actions that are unworthy of a follower of Christ are His way of correcting us, leading us to the place of His blessing and favor.

David, Israel’s king and poet, a man who loved God and yet made some terribly sinful choices describes the misery of guilt. "When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer." (Psalm 32:3-4)  Nothing hurts like a guilty conscience.  Temptation comes and presents us with a decision – to choose to resist or to do what ‘feels good’ in the moment.  If we decide to let those cruel words batter another, if we choose to lie, if we refuse the truth – we should be thankful when the sword of the Spirit slashes our conscience.

Have you ever experienced the misery of guilt? Guilt can keep us awake all night. It can make a delicious meal tasteless. It can turn a song into sound that only aggravates us like the scraping of fingernails on a chalkboard. Remember - all guilt is not bad.  Paul wrote a hard letter of correction to the Christians of Corinth. Apparently it caused many to feel real sorrow. Note what he says - "For the kind of sorrow God wants us to experience leads us away from sin and results in salvation. There’s no regret for that kind of sorrow. But worldly sorrow, which lacks repentance, results in spiritual death." (2 Corinthians 7:10, NLT) He took no pleasure in his rebuke telling that he sent the letter while shedding ‘many tears.’ But, he hoped for a response of change, and it happened!  

There is false guilt. Our conscience can be damaged, made too sensitive by constant criticism or scarred into uselessness by constant abuse. But, if our conscience is functioning in a healthy way, responsive to the Holy Spirit of God, informed by the truth, we should thank the Lord for the bone-deep ache that comes when we cross the line from right to wrong.

That ache that David felt after his sin was called out by Nathan, the preacher, was healed. How?  He owned his failure and changed his ways.  (You can read his prayer in Psalm 51) Never underestimate the joy that can be discovered in confession! "Then I let it all out; I said, “I’ll make a clean breast of my failures to God.” Suddenly the pressure was gone— my guilt dissolved, my sin disappeared. These things add up. Every one of us needs to pray; when all hell breaks loose and the dam bursts we’ll be on high ground, untouched." (Psalm 32:5-6, The Message) Confession liberating,  letting us experience God’s forgiveness. Often sincere confession will also win the forgiveness of another person, even those we have wronged in the most serious way.

The next step to healing is not to play the victim or offer up excuses. God looks for genuine repentance. Many people want release from guilt. Many even regret what they have done because of the negative consequences, but they feel little need to change their ways! The ancient people of God disobeyed the Lord confessed, but then would not turn to follow Him! They only wanted relief. They had no hunger to be holy. They would not turn around to pursue God. Will you?  Joel tells us about real confession and repentance that bring the restoration of our souls. "Come, spend the night in sackcloth, you who minister before my God; … (Joel 1:13, NIV) “Even now,” declares the Lord, “return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning.” Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity." (Joel 2:12-13, NIV)

Are you alienated from the Lord who gives you peace? Is guilt keeping your prayer silent, robbing you of worship, making you miserable?  Thank God for the gift and then with humility of heart, tell Him what you have done and ask Him for strength to live as He desires.  He will abundantly pardon.

Here is the word from the Word.  "Where is another God like you, who pardons the guilt of the remnant, overlooking the sins of his special people? You will not stay angry with your people forever, because you delight in showing unfailing love. Once again you will have compassion on us. You will trample our sins under your feet and throw them into the depths of the ocean! You will show us your faithfulness and unfailing love as you promised to our ancestors Abraham and Jacob long ago." (Micah 7:18-20, NLT)

__________________________

Search Me O God (Cleanse Me)

Search me O God and know my heart today

Try me O Savior know my thoughts I pray

See if there be some wicked way in me

Cleanse me from every sin and set me free

I praise You Lord for cleansing me from sin

Fulfill Thy Word and make me pure within

Fill me with fire where once I burned with shame

Grant my desire to magnify Your Name

Lord take my life and make it wholly Thine

Fill all my heart with Your great love divine

Take all my will my passion self and pride

I now surrender Lord in me abide

J. Edwin Orr

© Words: Public Domain