HELP FOR THE HURTING

TEXT:  "He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds." - Psalm 147:3

A lot of people are hurting these days.  We live in a world full of pain and heartache.  Sadly, we can easily get accustomed to such misery, no longer phased by the human suffering around us.

Much of the pain we encounter is not physical.  Instead, we encounter sad faces, moist eyes and frowns.  So many people are hurting.  It could be that you are one of these people.

There are many mistakes we make concerning the hurting people around us.  First, we overlook them.  We go about our daily business without noticing the little things that often indicate deeper pain.  Secondly, we give cheap clichés to those who suffer.  We say things like, "I know what you're going through," or "Time heals all pain."  It is better to say nothing than say such drivel.  Third, we tend to think that people quit hurting after a period of time.  We fail to follow up with them and see how they are doing.

I want to address my remarks to those who are hurting.  Perhaps you're brokenhearted right now.  Maybe you feel lower than a snake's navel in a wagon track.  It could be that your dreams have been shattered.  Regardless of the pain you are facing, let me share a few thoughts with you.

1.         GOD LOVES YOU

First of all, God loves you.  Others may have hurt you deeply, but God cares for you more than anyone else.  Although many people walk by you every day without showing any concern whatsoever, God loves you.

2.         GOD KNOWS

Secondly, God knows the pain you are facing.  He knows the depth of your despair.  He knows the degree of your grief.  He has seen all the tears you've shed.  He knows about your sleepless nights.

3.         GOD IS AVAILABLE

Next, God is available to talk with.  You don't have to schedule an appointment.  He is available right now to help with your problems.

4.         GOD IS ABLE

Also, God is able to heal broken hearts.  Our text, found in Psalm 147:3, teaches us that God heals brokenhearted people.  He is able to take the shattered pieces of your life and create a masterpiece.

5.         GOD CAN BE TRUSTED

Other people may have violated your trust, but God will not.  You can entrust Him with your case.  Bring your burdens to Him and trust Him to do what is right.

Although God is able to heal a broken heart in an instant, He often chooses to bring healing over a period of time, using many different methods.  Trust Him with your burdens right now.

It is amazing what God can do with a broken heart, if He is entrusted with all the pieces. 

ENCOURAGING YOURSELF

TEXT:  "... David encouraged himself in the LORD his God." - 1 Samuel 30:6

Have you ever had a bad day?  If you're like me, you've numerous bad days.  But sometimes you will face a super-bad day, a day that makes even bad days seem wonderful.  In our text, David was facing such a day. 

How bad was David's day?  First of all, he was fired from his job.  He had been serving in the Philistine army and was a winner in every battle.  However, as the Philistines prepared for war with Israel, David was seen as a liability rather than an asset, so he & his men were sent home.

Secondly, when David & his men returned they found their homes burned.  While David and his men were off fighting for the Philistines, the Amalekites had come and destroyed their homes. 

Third, David & his men didn't even have family members to greet them when they returned.  The Amalekites had taken them captive.  As a result of these traumatic events, the Bible states that David and his men, "... lifted up their voice and wept, until they had no more power to weep."  That is a bad day, isn't it?

To make things worse for David, his men even discussed the possibility of stoning him, possibly blaming David, in some way, for their situation.

Think about it.  David had no job, no home, no family and no friends.  Even his men had turned against him.  That is a bad day, indeed.

How do you deal with the worst possible days?  I can't honestly say that I've always responded to such days like I should.  The real question is this:  how should we deal with the worst possible days?  It is wrong to believe that Christians are immune to such days.  Following Jesus does not prevent really bad days from coming.  You'd think that the closer you follow Jesus, the better the days would be.  David was a man after God's own heart, yet he had really bad days.  To lose so much at one time is a horrible experience.  Yet David emerged from the event a stronger man.  What did David do?  Our text states that he encouraged himself in the LORD his God.

When the worst possible days come, how does a person encourage himself in the Lord?  Let me give you a few things that I believe David did.

1.            ISOLATION

First of all, David had to isolate himself from others and seek God.  When I read the Bible, I find that great men got alone to find help, comfort and assurance.  Many well-meaning people may try to force their views on you during times of adversity, but in such moments, you need to get alone with God.

2.            SUPPLICATION

Getting alone is important, but only as it leads us to have communion with God.  I believe the worst possible days give us opportunity to get honest with God and ourselves.  Although Christians believe in honesty, it is during the worst of days that we really get transparent in our prayers.  Prayer becomes real and vibrant.  We bear our souls to God, pouring out our emotional pain to Him.  Our prayers become like the drink offering in the Old Testament.  In those painful moments, the floodgate of tears is opened and we pour out our hearts to God in prayer.

3.            MEDITATION

I believe that David's attention turned from his problems to the One who could solve them.  Meditation is a Biblical experience that few believers practice.  The worst days should drive us to our knees --- but also we should be driven to God's Word.  It is easy to get overwhelmed when events are so dismal.  From God's Word we realize that when things seem to get out of control, they are still under God's control. 

4.            DIRECTION

David sought the counsel of God.  When things were so bad, David needed to know what to do.  Often, the most critical decisions need to be made when we are least able to make them.  We need God's direction.  His guidance can help us emerge from bad days. 

5.            SUBMISSION

Finally, David submitted himself to the will of God.  When he learned what God wanted him to do, David obeyed.  Often we face really bad days so that the integrity of our faith may be tested.  Do we only serve God during the good days?  Are we serious about trusting God when all seems lost?  Do we believe God simply because He is God?  Though David was always a victor in battle, the key to his victories came because of his total surrender to God.  God wants our trust, devotion and total surrender --- regardless of the circumstances.  Sometimes God permits the worst of circumstances to teach us this lesson.

When we seem to lose everything, we learn that everything that really matters can never be lost.  David did not encourage himself in his circumstances.  David did not encourage himself in his relationships.  David did not encourage himself in possessions or achievements.  Instead, David encouraged himself in the Lord his God.

I believe David's experience could be compared to the Apostle Paul, who admitted that he lost all things:  "But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ.  Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ." 

When all you have left is the Lord, you'll realize that He is all you really need.  That is how you encourage yourself in the Lord.   

TIME OUT

Text:  "Be still, and know that I am God." - Psalm 46:10

Last year, I went on a one-week social media fast.  Not only did I avoid Facebook, Twitter and other social media that week, I avoided e-mail and even television.  I spent more time reading the Word, other books and devoting time to other projects.  It was a rewarding experience. 

I am embarking on another social media fast, beginning this weekend.  For some time, I have felt the need to experience another social media fast.  It was certainly not a coincidence that the days leading to this fast have been marked by ridiculous events in our country.  Even more distressing has been the numerous comments I've read on Facebook and Twitter.  I'll not comment on the remarks I've read, but I must confess that I am disappointed with the immaturity that some exhibit.

God said, "Be still, and know that I am God."  There are moments when we need to take a time out from the regular activities of life and simply seek God.  I feel that this is the greatest need for me at this time.  I still intend to go to work daily, teach Bible study class every Wednesday and preach on Sundays.  However, I need to get away from Facebook, Twitter and other forms of distractions.  I need God's Book instead of Facebook.  I need to hear what He has to say instead of the varying opinions of others.  What God says trumps everyone else.

Like never before, I need to spend time alone with God.  While I am not challenging anyone else to take a social media fast, I do think we need to weigh our options and make decisions based upon Biblical priorities.  I have found that there is a constant battle going on for my attention.  God is the One who deserves my attention the most.

I do covet the prayers of God's people.  When a football team takes a timeout, they are able to get refreshed and refocused.  That's what I hope will occur for me in the next week. 

Most of the time I tend to be like Martha who was constantly busy doing things.  However, it is better to be like Mary, who sat at Jesus' feet and heard His Word. 

For me, it is time to get still and hear His Word.

GOD BLESS AMERICA

TEXT:  "Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD; and the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance." - Psalm 33:12

This message is being attached on my blog site on July 4th, the anniversary of our nation's independence.  This is a celebrated national holiday in America.  Our nation's independence from Britain in 1776 was a miracle, directed by God, obtained by our forefathers at a great price and is maintained through the sacrifice of many.  God has truly blessed America.

We need God to bless America again.  When Irving Berlin wrote the song, "God Bless America," he probably never envisioned the day when the song would become a spiritual hymn of desperation.  While God is blessing America right now to a certain degree, most Christians would have to admit that the tide of God's blessings is being withheld.  Although I don't like to be the voice of gloom and doom, I must agree with many Christians and say that I believe that His blessings will be completely removed very soon.  Unless something drastic occurs, God's judgment will soon fall on America.

While many are deliberately removing God from the American scene, born-again believers realize that this is a foolish and lethal act.  We need God to bless America.  However, we have given God little reason to bless us.

Our nation has openly encouraged, embraced and endorsed the very sins that God has specifically condemned.  Billy Graham once said, "If God doesn't bring judgment on America soon, he will have to apologize to Sodom and Gomorrah."  Christians are ridiculed as being a "hate group" because we will not compromise our convictions about the Bible.  If God calls something sin, we dare not argue the point with Him.  He is the final authority on the subject. 

Sadly, many well-known mega-pastors are compromising with the world.  While they seek to be respectable to the world, they are losing favor with God.  Which is really more important:  the praise of men or the praise of God?

Despite the rapid moral, ethical and spiritual decline of our nation, I believe that there is only a faint hope that America can be saved from God's judgment.  This hope does not lie with the next election or the appointment of a conservative Supreme Court justice.  Instead, our only hope is found in the person of Jesus Christ.  Here are some things that Christians need to desperately seek:

1.            REVIVAL IN OUR CHURCHES

We need old-fashioned, heaven-sent, God-honoring, Christ-exalting, sin-hating, Spirit-led, saint-edifying, Bible-driven revival in our churches.  We need revival that will drive away all compromise and hypocrisy.  We need fresh conviction of sin that leads to true repentance.  We need deliverance from the stale religion that has dishonored God for so long.  We need revival that will awaken saints to the need of the hour and the peril of lost souls.  We need believers to fall in love with Jesus rather than their bank account.  We need believers to be devoted to God's Book rather than Facebook. 

I strongly believe that the American Church is greatly responsible for the mess this nation is in today.  If we had been about our Father's business instead of our own business, the spiritual climate of our nation would be far better today.

2.            SPIRITUAL AWAKENING IN AMERICA

A spiritual awakening is slightly different from revival.  Revival is a divine work, specifically designed to awaken believers, produce repentance in the church and bring believers to renewed vigor for the Lord & His kingdom.  A spiritual awakening is a widespread move of God to save souls and transform lives by the power of the Gospel.  Often revival precedes a spiritual awakening.  God's people usually have to get right with Him before there is a large-scale spiritual awakening.  Yet apart from a spiritual awakening, our nation is doomed for judgment.  Millions of souls are lost and will soon perish unless a spiritual awakening occurs. 

I believe God wants to bring revival and a spiritual awakening.  Like most miracles, revival will never come until God's people get desperate for Him.  Perhaps the events of the last few weeks (and years) have been permitted to get God's people on their knees.  If there has ever been a time that God's people need to get serious, get right with God, and get on their knees, it is right now. 

Our nation's woes will never be resolved at the voting box, but in the prayer closet.  It is time for the American Church to repent.  Let us look to the Lord and pray, "God Bless America."