8-28-2021 Heal the Broken Hearted        

We should thank God for all the goodness and mercies He gives us because He is always there for us.  We just have to open our eyes and see and receive.

Psalms 147:1-20

Singing praises to God is pleasant and praising Him is comely

Father builds up His church and draws those who have strayed back into His fold

He heals the broken hearted and binds up their wounds

He calls each star by its name

Our Lord is great and powerful and His understanding knows no limits

He casts the wicked down and lifts up the meek

Sing thanksgiving and praise unto the Lord, using our musical instruments

He covers the heavens with clouds and prepares the rain to make the grass grow on the mountains

He feeds the animals and the young ravens who cry

Neither powerful horses nor the strength of a man’s legs impresses our God

He does take pleasure in those who honor and respect Him for who He is and hope in in His mercy

All people, praise the Lord

He is the strength of our protection and gives us children

He gives us peace and provides us food

He sends His commandments upon the earth and His Word travels swiftly

He gives snow like wool and breaks up the crusty ice and casts the bits out as crumbs (who can stand His cold)

His Word melts the ice and causes winds to blow and waters to flow

He shows His Word to His children and judgment to His church

He has not dealt with any other nation like this for they have not known His judgments. 

Praise the Lord!

Though this Psalm speaks of Israel, it uncovers the depth, breadth and height of God’s love and mercies towards us.  He gives us a “hint” of how to live for Him and shows us His rewards for doing so.  And take note, His Word is for His children, His judgements are for His church.  This Psalm doesn’t say so but rather implies that that leaves His wrath for the rest of the world – those who have rejected Him. 

As individuals or as we (the church) judge ourselves, that means we discover, confess and repent as soon as we realize we have violated God’s law and will (ergo His love-1 Corinth. 11:31).  When we ‘judge’ ourselves – admit when we’ve done wrong and we ‘take care of business at the cross (confess, repent and renounce).  This precludes the ‘need’ for God’s judgement to come upon us to get us back on the right track.  God has already done so through our repentance.

When we ‘go astray’ and we falter, Father does what is necessary to get our attention.  The harshness of this ‘attention getting’ depends on how hard ‘our hearts’ have become, or perhaps how comfortable we have become in our wrongdoing – nonetheless, what does it take to open our eyes and get us back on that right track.

Four things we need to keep in mind:  

1.         Psalms 51:17

            The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit and a broken and contrite heart …

God does not eliminate our spirit, but rather reshapes our spirit to agree with His as we yield to our lives to Him.  We come before our heavenly Father with a broken spirit.  That is not prideful – or should I say “look at me!”  We come to know Who God is and what He is capable of doing therefore giving Him all respect.  He has loved us so much, He gave His only begotten Son (John 3:16) so our love is ‘due’ Him.  That love and respect also includes fearing Him.  God protects us from evil through His grace and mercy.  Fearing God means not only respecting that He loves us but knowing that He can also pull His grace and mercy from us, dooming us to the hell we deserve by not repenting our sins.  But praise the Lord for His mercies.   Knowing who God is and who we are helps us truly to come before Him (and others) with that contrite (humble and totally open) heart.  And that keeps us mindful to repent when we do ‘mess up!  We know who we are in Christ Jesus!

2.         Matt. 5:3-14

Blessed are they that: are poor in spirit, mourn, are meek, hunger & thirst after righteousness, are merciful, are pure in heart, are peacemakers, are persecuted for righteousness sake, are reviled and persecuted for His sake (Jesus). 

Why be glad?: our reward is great in heaven, for: ours is the kingdom of heaven, we shall be comforted, we shall inherit the earth, we shall be filled, obtain mercy, shall see God and be called the children of God.

We are the salt of the earth, the light of this world, a city on a hill.

Let our light shine brightly for those around us that others may see the good works of our God.

The beatitudes should be a living part of our lives.  When we first give our heart to the Lord, will they be evident?  Probably not, but ALL aspects of love should be continually growing within us and manifesting to those around us, to some degree, as we grow.  ‘ Be-at-itudes’!  Attitudes where our heart should “be at” (not original), and, again, they should be evident in our lives so others might see God in us. 

3.         Matt. 11:29

When we take Jesus’ yoke and are meek and lowly of heart, we will find rest for our souls.

Father knows that we can’t do it alone so He gives us the Holy Ghost (inside) to help us.  When Jesus says “take My yoke”, He’s referring to the fact that He has given us the Holy Ghost who will lead us into all truth and give us strength (John 16:13) – to live this life (Acts 2:8)!  We don’t have to do it alone.  Just ask (Matt. 7:7)!  He is our strength (2 Corinth. 11:9-10)!  When we find ourselves in a place where we think “there’s no way I can go on”, through the Holy Ghost, Jesus picks us up and carries forward.  He WILL NEVER forsake us (Heb. 13:5).

4.         Luke 4:18-19

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because He has anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor, He has sent me to heal the broken-hearted, preach deliverance to the captives, recover sight for the blind, to set those who are bruised (that is crushed, or even shredded to pieces) at liberty and to preach the acceptable year of the Lord.

To some degree, this should be the objective for every Christian, whether it be to one person or to a multitudes.  From the day we accept Jesus Christ into our hearts, our goal should be to walk closer, with Father, each day of our life.

When we go forth to do God’s work, in His will, we should always be in a prayerful attitude.  Our goal is to share what Jesus has given us with those around us that rather than death, they might have life eternal.  Amen?

We are “Earthen Vessels”.  We are human, not God.  Yet, though we are fallible, we do our best to seek and do God’s will.  Father does give us all a ministry, of some sort.  We can be confident in the fact that whatever our God-given ministry is, it will include at least a healing of the heart.  Our heart is healed through our salvation and then through whatever other ministry Father brings our way (receiving or delivering). 

When we share what Father has given us, we may, or maybe not, see the fruit of what we do.  Yet, we take comfort in knowing that we’ve done as Father requested. 

Father’s goal (and so should ours) is to heal and the heart is the first thing needing healing. Perhaps some of us can relate to the following words:

T I’ve come to heal the broken hearted

And take away their fears

I bring joy to the sad of heart

And wipe away their tears

I bring life to the dead

That their living might be full

I am filled with the Holy Ghost

I’m blessed (Jesus), this earthen vessel

 

God tells me what to do

His will is mine to do

I’ve just done what I’ve been bidden

Because God expects me to

I bring life to the dead

That their living might be full

I am filled with the Holy Ghost

I’m blessed (Jesus), this earthen vessel

 

I thank the Lord for using me

Though I always don’t know why

I know His will, though

He doesn’t want anyone to die

I bring life to the dead

That their living might be full

I am filled with the Holy Ghost

I’m blessed (Jesus), this earthen vessel

Amen