Jesus is On Your Side

 

03-22-2022

I will praise the LORD at all times. I will constantly speak his praises. I will boast only in the LORD; let all who are helpless take heart. Come, let us tell of the LORD’s greatness; let us exalt his name together. The LORD hears his people when they call to him for help. He rescues them from all their troubles. The LORD is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those whose spirits are crushed. The righteous person faces many troubles, but the LORD comes to the rescue each time. ...the LORD will redeem those who serve him. No one who takes refuge in him will be condemned…The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and rescues those whose spirit is crushed.

 Psalm 34:1-3;17-19; 22 (New Living Translation)

You may, or may not, have noticed that we did not do a newsletter this past week. There have been three funerals this past couple of weeks and it has taken a mental toll on all of us.

Funerals tend to bring out a lot of emotions, for obvious reasons. But we want to share with you the reason Christians can go through loss and grief and still maintain their joy in the Lord.

We first want to say that grief is real. Loss hurts. And, yes, there are moments in life when you feel like you will never draw in your next breath. Life can be crushing and cruel. Yet we are often told just to suck it up and pull ourselves up by our bootstraps. Ironically, the Bible NEVER EVER teaches this flawed and fatal humanistic thinking. Indeed, Jesus said, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.”

We wish we could explain how that happens. No book, no website, no speaker can do that. And, yes, there will be times in your life when comfort seems like either an abstract idea or illusion.

Yet, we believe we will be comforted. And that is why followers of Jesus are different. In spite of the “reality” around us - we believe and trust in a greater “Reality” to guide us.

Why do we believe? What causes us to throw our lot in with an Invisible Force? The world offers nothing but temporary assistance when we are hurting - not that there's anything wrong with that, by the way. The body of Christ, though, has something “in addition” and permanent to that.

Ann Voskamp, in her book The Broken Way, states, “When the church isn’t for the suffering and broken, then the church isn’t for Christ. Because Jesus, with His pierced side, is always on the side of the broken.”

Jesus is on the side of the broken and crushed. Jesus is on your side. He is on our side.

Look at Mary and Martha and how he went to them during the loss of their beloved brother Lazarus - “Jesus wept.” Remember when Jesus “... saw a great multitude and was moved with compassion for them, because they were like sheep not having a shepherd,” (Mark 6:34). In Luke, two blind men cry out to Jesus and: “Moved with compassion, Jesus touched their eyes, and at once they received their sight and followed Him,” (Matthew 20:34).

Jesus is compassion personified. He is God’s compassion made flesh. 

 We believe in him. Therefore, his compassion is ours.

Even today, Jesus seeks out the suffering and that is where he will be found. As Ann Voskamp reminded us, the wound in His side proves that Jesus is always on the side of the suffering. Today, let us assure you that Jesus is on your side.

We do not know all of what you are going through. We cannot imagine the pain your heart may be bearing. Yet, there is something to be said about embracing the pain, the loss and the grief.

It is a sad truth that so often we try to run away from difficult situations. We try to smooth over the rough moments of our lives. We do all we can to numb ourselves, so pain and hurt do not overwhelm us.

Sadly, a lot of Christians do not want you to know that suffering, loss, disappointment and hurt are an integral part of all our lives. We speak of the joy of Jesus so much that we neglect - to our own demise - the comfort of the only One Who truly understands what we are going through.

Never forget, “Jesus wept.”

And Jesus is weeping with us on this day. He is weeping over your loss. He is weeping over your sin. He is weeping over the destruction of nations. He is weeping over the addiction plaguing you and your family. He is weeping over the fact you are not getting enough rest. He is weeping over the fact you cannot get the health care you need. He is weeping over the gossip among his children. He is weeping. Why? Because he cares…and wants to comfort you and me.

Euegene Peterson, writing in the foreword of Alan Nelson’s book, Embracing Brokenness: How God Refines Us Through Life’s Disappointments, confirms a powerful truth: 

 “Suffering is not evidence of God’s absence, but of God’s presence, and it is in our experience of being broken that God does his surest and most characteristic salvation work. There is a way to accept, embrace, and deal with suffering that results in a better life, not a worse one, and more of the experience of God, not less. God is working out his salvation in our lives the way he has always worked it out—at the place of brokenness, at the cross of Jesus, and at the very place where we take up our cross.”

It was at the cross of Jesus that the love of all loves - the hope of all hopes - was given without remorse or regret. To a planet filled with sin, pain and suffering, the God of all creation sent His one and only Son to show He alone can empathize and carry us through. As David sings in Psalm 34: “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and rescues those whose spirit is crushed,” (Psalm 34:18).

It is our prayer and hope that Jesus would comfort, console and encompass you this day. May God grant you strength to endure, grace to overcome, and peace to continue living.

Steve and Missy

Broken Hearts and Suffering: Evidence for God

11-03-2021

I will praise the LORD at all times. I will constantly speak his praises. I will boast only in the LORD; let all who are helpless take heart. Come, let us tell of the LORD’s greatness; let us exalt his name together. The LORD hears his people when they call to him for help. He rescues them from all their troubles. The LORD is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those whose spirits are crushed. The righteous person faces many troubles, but the LORD comes to the rescue each time...the LORD will redeem those who serve him. No one who takes refuge in him will be condemned. 

Psalm 34:1-3;17-19; 22 (New Living Translation)

The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and rescues those whose spirit is crushed...

This week I (Steve) am going to do something I rarely, if ever, do. I am going to rehash a previous work. Actually, it comes from a funeral I was honored to be a part of this morning. Due to time constraints I felt it was necessary to cut quite a bit out of the message I shared with those gathered and I wanted to take what was there and expand on it a bit. Why? Missy and I feel it is a very important message/reminder to those of us who are not doing so well right now - mentally and emotionally.

Ann Voskamp, in her profound and brutally honest book The Broken Way describes what it was like to endure enormous personal pain and loss...only to have her feelings and suffering trivialized from the pulpit and by other people in the church. “I wanted to stand up and howl,” she writes: “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick...I wanted to stand up and beg: ‘When the church isn’t for the suffering and broken, then the church isn’t for Christ. Because Jesus, with His pierced side, is always on the side of the broken.'”

We don’t elaborate enough on particular points of scripture. This is often by design (we don’t want to discuss the issue) or by default (nobody wants to hear about it). One of those oft neglected truths of the New Testament is the fact that the authors fundamentally believed that Jesus purposefully moved into the lives of those who were affected with grief. Look at Mary and Martha and how he went to them during the loss of their beloved brother Lazarus.

Not only that but one can easily see that the Jesus of the Bible always went to where the suffering was. He never shied away from seeking out those who were crushed by life and rejected by society. Indeed, the wound in His side, the imprint of thorns on his brow, the piercings in his hands all prove that Jesus is always on the side of the suffering, the wounded, the broken.

If you are struggling today let me assure you that Jesus is on your side.

So many people today are encountering moments - even seasons - of mental anguish, physical struggle and emotional turmoil. Sure, some of it is a direct consequence of personal behavior and bad decision-making. Yet, even that should not be an excuse to ridicule or belittle someone who is fighting to stay afloat.

Most of the time, however, those who are agonizing over even simple daily tasks, are not to blame for their current situation. Life happens. Things happen. People happen. It isn’t always pretty, clean or easy to deal with.

Although we do not know exactly what is happening in your life right now, one thing Missy and I agree upon is this: we cannot begin to fathom the pain, the loss, the grief you are encountering right now. Nor you, ours. We can only be there for one another...

Yet, there is something to be said about embracing the pain, the loss and the grief of our lives. It is a sad truth that we mostly spend our time attempting to run away from difficult situations. We try to smooth over the rough, ugly and painful moments of our lives. We even try to hide what we are going through - lying to the world and ourselves, “I’m doing great!”

It can be especially bitter for those who are followers of Jesus who have been told all their lives - by other “Christians” no less - to “Keep a stiff upper lip;” “Don’t let others see you cry;” “Real men don’t cry,” or even, “If you just had more faith you would be able to handle all of this.” Lies. All lies. And, remember, God hates lies.

A secret most Christians do not want you to know is that suffering is an integral part of all our lives. We speak of the joy of Jesus so much (and rightfully so!) we neglect - to our own demise - the comfort of the only One Who truly understands what we are going through. Remember, “Jesus wept.”

And Jesus is weeping with you today. He is weeping for you; what you are going through; what you have lost; what you must deal with.

Not only that, Jesus is in your very midst through the gift of His Holy Spirit. Simultaneously, he is at the right hand of the Father - even now- interceding on your behalf...asking the Father to comfort His children...right where you are.

Euegene Peterson, writing in the foreword of Alan Nelson’s reassuring book, Embracing Brokenness: How God Refines Us Through Life’s Disappointments, confirms a powerful truth I wish to share with you today: “Suffering is not evidence of God’s absence, but of God’s presence, and it is in our experience of being broken that God does his surest and most characteristic salvation work. There is a way to accept, embrace, and deal with suffering that results in a better life, not a worse one, and more of the experience of God, not less. God is working out his salvation in our lives the way he has always worked it out—at the place of brokenness, at the cross of Jesus, and at the very place where we take up our cross.”

You may be broken and suffering, but that is the exact place you can meet Jesus. It is the very place where God’s love and comfort, hope and healing, will reveal themselves to be true and dependable.

How do we know this to be true? It was at the cross of Jesus that the love of all loves, the hope of all hope was given without remorse or regret. To a lost and dying world, to a planet filled with pain and suffering, the God of all creation sent His one and only Son to show He alone can empathize and carry us through. “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and rescues those whose spirit is crushed.”

Our hope and prayer is that Jesus would comfort, console and encompass you this day and everyday. May God grant you His strength to endure, His grace to overcome, His peace to continue living. May our heavenly Father fill each of us with His Spirit that we may walk as children of peace, as a people of faith, proclaiming to all who will listen, “...let all who are helpless take heart...the LORD hears his people when they call to him for help. He rescues them from all their troubles.”

Rewording Bill Withers’ classic song, “Lean on God when you’re not strong…”