Brokenhearted

"The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me, Because the LORD has anointed Me To preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives, And the opening of the prison to those who are bound; To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, And the day of vengeance of our God; To comfort all who mourn, To console those who mourn in Zion, To give them beauty for ashes, The oil of joy for mourning, The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; That they may be called trees of righteousness, The planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified." (Isaiah 61:1-3 NKJ)

The service manager came towards me with a serious look on his face. He said, "Do you want the good news or the bad news, first?" Like all normal people, I asked for the bad news first to get it over with quickly. I asked for the good news second so that it would soothe the effects of the bad news.

For a pastor, the bad news always seems to arrive at 2 or 3 o'clock in the morning, usually from a brokenhearted, grief-stricken friend or church member. And bad news at 2 am is always more serious than a vehicle's mechanical malfunction.

Yet, bad news in all forms can create a "broken heart" for the individual(s) involved. A strike-out in the game can break a little leaguer's heart. Rejection can break a teen's heart. Failure to get a desired promotion can break a young adult's heart. Children gone bad can break a mother's heart. Irresponsibility and disappointments can break a father's heart. Tragedies break all our hearts.

And in all cases, no matter the seriousness, we have a balm for the pain. God sent us assistance. God sent us a person who knows and understands (Hebrews 4:15), even if those around us do not . . . even if others think we are silly or immature.

God sent the Savior, Jesus Christ, whose spirit and anointing is to bandage our hurts and heal the grief of our circumstances. Granted, his initial mandate is to save us, but his ministry carries solace and comfort for every minute item in our lives. We might grieve, but Christ knows we are valuable to the Father, so he attends our wounds.

Dear Father, thank you for the healing solace that Christ brings. Empower us to share the comfort, wherewith we have been comforted, with the brokenhearted around us. I pray this in the name of Jesus. AMEN

Comfort someone today,