when tragedy strikes
why suffering?
the suffering of fools
temptations, tests, and trials
why does God test man, part one
testing and the education of life
what my cat taught me about testing, and trusting
why does God test man, part two
we are the clay
judging suffering
when we suffer: a warning
help when we hurt
flip the switch
the poetry of drawing near
Do you remember the story about my cat? I mentioned that trials hurt, that we draw our hearts back in pain from the Lord’s heart when it gets hurt from the wounds of suffering. We begin to doubt that His heart is good because He did not prevent our suffering.
So those of us who have endured suffering have endured wounds to our hearts, and our hearts need healing just as our bodies do when it is wounded. Dears, God is in the healing business. Jesus is the exact representation of God’s nature, and He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed of the devil.
When a leper knelt before Jesus, he asked Him, “Lord, if You will, You can make me clean.” “If You will.” That is the $64,000 question, isn’t it? We know God can heal our wounded hearts, but will He?
Jesus replied, “I will; be clean.”
But just as with our physical bodies, where infection can gunk up our wounds and make healing that much more delayed, so with our hearts. Hardness, resentment, and bitterness can gunk up the wounds in our hearts and make healing that much more delayed.
This is why the Lord says, Let not the sun go down on your anger. This is why the Lord says, Today, when you hear His voice, harden not your heart. Those fruits of darkness which we harbor, fester in our hearts and infect our wounds.
So now what? What if we recognize that we have the infection of bitterness, resentment, or hardness gunking up our wounded hearts; how do we clean the infection out so that the wound can heal?
Continued in
what my thimble taught me
pride: the hidden problem with hardness
portrait of a yielded heart
the poetry of a yielded heart
comfort when we suffer
taking comfort: psalm 42
the poetry of taking comfort
comfort, comfort, o my people
comfort as a mother comforts
a rabbit trail
the joy of intimacy
the poetry of intimacy
God’s comforting presence
why don’t I feel God?
christians and suffering
back from the abyss
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