Near to the brokenhearted

Reading for today: Psalm 51

“God’s true nature is to love people who are troubled, have mercy on those who are brokenhearted, forgive those who have fallen, and refresh those who are exhausted” (Martin Luther).

 

I used to facilitate an outreach program aimed at caring for international mothers and their children. Amazing volunteers worked alongside me to care for the mental health, physical, and spiritual needs of these under-served women and children.

I’ll never forget, one of the women, Alice, articulated our mission in this way: These women don’t need to be told that they are sinners, these women need to be told that they are loved.

Alice said this because as Christians we have a tendency to go to the broken, the lost, the hurting, and the lonely of this world and hand them the law. We do it to ourselves as well.

But Christ’s mission was to go to those who already felt the pain and weight of the law and offer them His mercy, His love, His forgiveness, His hope, and His righteousness.

God does not despise the brokenhearted. In fact, He takes our brokenness and fills it completely with His grace and forgiveness. He upholds us with His Spirit. And He wraps us up in His arms, forever holding onto us with His love.

“None of those who take refuge in Him will be condemned” (Psalm 34:22).

Dear God, Thank You for Your unbelievable love. Please forgive me for thinking that I need to be righteous in order for You to be a Savior. Deliver me from my loneliness, from my despair, from my broken heart, from my afflictions, and from my sins. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Amen.

Music is a powerful form of worship. Click on the following link to worship our Savior through the music of Elevation Worship – O Come to the Altar.

Day 2 – Psalm 34

Day 3 – 1 Corinthians 1:27-31; 2 Corinthians 12:7-10

Day 4 – Luke 18:9-14

Day 5 – Philippians 4:4-7

 

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It Is Well

Reading for today: Matthew 8:23-27

Jesus Calms the Storm by Laura James

One of the most difficult times for my family was the recent death of my mother-in-law, Cheryl. She died just a few years ago of a progressive cancer called multiple myeloma. The time between a proper diagnosis of her disease and her final breath was about 56 days.

Raging winds, crashing waves, and a swamped boat. Cheryl’s struggle with cancer was a massive storm for our family.

When you or your loved ones are in the middle of a powerful storm, that storm will begin to make you feel as though God is no longer in control, even if you are a seasoned Christian.

In our reading for today, the disciples knew firsthand, as seasoned fishermen, the destructive power of a great storm. Their fear tells us how bad the storm they faced really was.

Yet, even more powerful than the storm, was the voice of Jesus as he stood and rebuked the wind and the waves. The moment he spoke, the storm disappeared and was replaced by a “great calm” (v.26).

While it may not always seem as though God is in control, always remember and be comforted that the winds and the waves must obey Him.

Although God did not stop the storm inside Cheryl’s body, God calls me to trust in His sovereignty and in His timing. He calls me to faith and He reminds me that I have nothing to fear because He is in control.

Dear God, the storm I face right now is ___________________. Please speak truth into my life. If it is Your will, please rebuke this storm. If it is not Your will, give me the faith to trust in Your sovereignty and take away my fear. In Your name, I pray. Amen.

During that agonizing and confusing time of Cheryl’s death, our church music team in St. Louis performed a song one Sunday morning entitled “It Is Well” (Bethel Music). One particular line of the song is: “So let it go my soul and trust in Him. The waves and wind still know His name.” God used this song to speak His comfort into my soul. Click on the link below to use this song as a prayer.

Bethel Music “It Is Well”

This week we will read one more account of Jesus literally calming a storm. We will also read through a few comforting Psalms.

Day 2 – Mark 6:45-51

Day 3 – Psalm 46

Day 4 – Psalm 89:8-9

Day 5 – Psalm 62

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God’s Wedding Plans: Part 3 – The Plans

Reading for today: Revelation 19:6-9

“And I will betroth you to me forever…” ~ Hosea 2:19

I worked my college summers at a camp, spending evenings around the campfire, singing songs like Shout to the Lord, Shine Jesus Shine, Light the Fire, and Awesome God.

One of my favorites was Jesus, Lover of My Soul. It’s a beautiful song by Hillsong based on Psalm 40. It’s an easy song to learn, with repeating lyrics, so I brought it with me to Taiwan to teach my English Bible study students.

One of the pastors heard the song and asked me not to teach it to the students. He argued that calling Jesus a “lover” was racy and irreverent.

There is no doubt that the word “lover” has some baggage. But the Bible clearly depicts God as a relentless, pursuing lover. Excluding this kind of intimate, covenantal love, limits our understanding of the depth and multidimensionality of God’s love for us.

Through the 15 years of marriage to my lover, God has graciously taught me more about His unbelievable steadfast love and faithfulness. And I am still learning.

In love, God pursues us, He proposes to us an everlasting covenant, and He promises us the ultimate wedding feast to come.

On that great day, when we stand like a bride in front of the church, we will no longer rely on faith to carry us through to God’s kingdom. On that day, we will see, we will feel, and we will experience the full measure of God’s perfect love for us…forever.

Dear God, Give me the faith to believe your great love for me. Give me the strength to love You and others as You have first and always loved me. Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.

Toby and I at our wedding feast (Aug 2002)

There is nothing like a good piece of wedding cake (or in my case, good wedding pie), shared at a happy, wedding feast.

God is preparing the ultimate wedding cake and feast for us. He promises that Jesus will one day come again to sweep His bride (the church) off her worn and weary feet and bring her to the greatest wedding feast ever.

Read through some of God’s wedding plans this week.

Day 2 – John 14:1-6

Day 3 – Hosea 2:16,18-20; Isaiah 25:6-9

Day 4 – Luke 14:15-24

Day 5 – Psalm 23

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God’s Wedding Plans: Part 2 – The Proposal

Reading for today: Ephesians 5:25-33

“…the Lord loves you…” ~ Deuteronomy 7:8

The night Toby asked me to marry him, I had no idea that he was about to propose. We went for a walk along the beaches of Kaohshiung, Taiwan. It could have been a romantic walk except that it was late at night and pitch dark.

As we walked down to the beach, a pack of wild dogs had congregated, making me increasingly nervous. On the other side of the beach, bang! Bang! Pow! A gang of drunken men were suddenly setting firecrackers off over the ocean.

As I fearfully searched for Toby’s hand in the dark, I stumbled backward over him. He had gotten down on one knee and was holding a ring out to me. I was so surprised. But because it was dark, I couldn’t see the ring. I kept asking, “Is this real? Is this for real?”

“Yes!” he assured me, laughing. “This is for real!”

Like Toby’s proposal in the dark, God is proposing to us. He loves us. He relentlessly pursues us. And in the middle of our darkness, surrounded by uncertainty, He reaches out and offers to completely commit Himself to us forever… for real.

Dear God, I can’t believe that you want to commit to me. Thank you for reaching into my darkness with your amazing light. God, make me committed to you. Make me worthy of Your great love and give me the power to reach into the darkness of those around me. Amen.

God committed Himself to His people from the very beginning. Read through the passages below to learn more about His loving commitment to us. Note: Even though these passages are speaking to followers thousands of years ago, know that it applies to us today.

Day 2 – Deuteronomy 7:6-9

Day 3 – Jeremiah 29:11-14; 31:31-34

Day 4 – John 17:6-23

Day 5 – 1 Corinthians 13

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