Identifying with Heartache

 

Psalm 23 :1-6 NKJV  The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2 He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. 3 He restores my soul; He leads me in paths of righteousness for His name’s sake. 4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. 5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over. 6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; And I will dwell in the house of the LORD  forever.

 

VERSE 4…though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for you are with me; your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

Comfort: nacham….Strongs #5162 …to comfort, to console; extend compassion, sigh with one grieving ; to repent…translated has meaning of regrets of a transgression……..so this word does not describe a casual sympathy, but describes empathy. It is actually one who will weep with another who weeps!

Love is when one comes to: help, to motivate, those in love will actively watch with sorrow and pity

Empathy is getting down in the ugliness of deep darkness, no light,  “hey this trench is deep” of despair, no help, but panic!  Empathy is the action of understanding, being very much aware of and sensitive to experiencing the feelings of others in thoughts and in experiences……….whether to the past or to a present moment. The one with empathy knows the experience as their own experience. He was willing to avenge their distress of ailments, sickness because of His love…that is anchored in the depths of empathy, proactive on the scene to suffer as those He came to suffer for on the Cross…

 Jesus was active in empathy for others. The man healed on the Sabbath..:Mark 2:27-28 ;3 1-5…NKJV…27 and He said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath” 28 “Therefore the Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath.”

Mark 3:1-4 NKJV and He entered the synagogue again, & a man was there who had a withered hand. 2 So they watched Him closely, whether He would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse him. 3 And he said to the man who had the withered hand, “Step forward”. 4 The he said to them, “Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?” But they kept silent.

5 And when He had looked around at them with anger, being grieved by the hardness of their hearts, He said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And he stretched it out, & his hand was restored as whole as the other.

 Another passage using the word Nacham: Psalm 119:75-82  Amplified Bible 75 I know, O Lord, that Your judgments are right & righteous, & in faithfulness You have afflicted me. 76 Let, I pray You, Your merciful kindness & steadfast love be for my comfort, according to your promise to Your servant.

Comfort: He prays…: You in Your merciful kindness and steadfast love be for my comfort…

Psalm 119:77 Let Your tender mercy and loving kindness come to me that I may live, for Your law is my delight. 78 Let the proud be put to shame, for they dealt perversely with me without a cause; but I will mediate on Your precepts. 79 Let those who reverently and worshipfully fear You turn to me, and those who have known Your testimonies. 80 Let my heart be sound (sincere and wholehearted & blameless) in Your statues, that I may not be put to shame. 81 My soul languishes and grows faint for Your salvation, but I hope in Your word. 82 My eyes fail, watching for [the fulfillment of] Your promised. I say, when will You comfort me? Comfort:nacham

From Psalm 119 and verses 77-82 every display of the tender mercies of God is like a fresh transfusion of life to the hard-pressed saint. From verse 79 it is a spiritual instinct to seek the fellowship of those who know and love the Word of God. But truly how often do we ask the Lord to lead those who fear God across our pathway? The believer may be afflicted but not crushed; perplexed but not driven to despair; persecuted but not forsaken; struck down but not destroyed ( 2 Corinthians 4:8-9) Even though eyes grow dime with searching for the fulfillment of God’s promise of deliverance, he does not pray “Will you comfort me? But he prays “When will you comfort me?”

Empathy and No Trenches : Identifying with Heartache………Jesus was on the front lines to confront the enemy: Us!   Philippians 2:5-8 – Jesus Christ, who being in the very nature of God did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage.  Rather he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant (left his home), being made in human likeness.  And being found as a man, humbled himself even further by becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross. Identifying with others in a heartache is identifying with those in need. Jesus drew no tears from His own griefs but He sweat drops of the blood for mine. (author: Charles H. Gabriel) Jesus held a sacrificial mind, the selfless mind, and the serving mind. Jesus consistently thought of others. Yeah, He got it from His Father!

Jesus is empathy’s perfect example. He did not come to earth to save us as God, detached and gazing down in sympathy and pity. He came as man, born into the trenches, to live and suffer as a human. His empathy makes Him the perfect sacrifice. The perfect bridge between God and us.  Hebrews 4:15  “For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin”

But we are not Jesus. So how can we identify with others going through situations that we have never encountered face-to-face? How can we walk trenches we have never been pushed into? Because based on the way Jesus lived his life, that’s what I believe He’s asking us to do as Christians. To put away sympathy and embrace empathy. That’s where true comfort lies.

Jesus didn’t have a trench: Breaking Barriers

1.   Initiated grace to the least of them: the broken, the lame but also the one who hung on the Cross next to him

2.   Served those who dishonored him the most: Judas

3.   His beliefs were not fables or fickle

4.   His opinion was not swayed: He was on His mission for Salvation who kept the future focus, faith and determination: It is Finished He spoke from that bloody Cross!

5.    HE acted on  complete conviction!

2 Corinthians 1:3-5 Amplified Bible 3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of sympathy (pity and mercy) and the God [Who is the Source of every comfort [(consolation and encouragement). 4 Who comforts (consoles and encourages us in every trouble (calamity and affliction), so that we may also be able to comfort (console and encourage) those who are in any kind of trouble or distress, with the comfort (consolation and encouragement) with which we ourselves are comforted (consoled and encouraged) by God. 5 For just as Christ’s [own] sufferings fall to our lot [as they overflow upon His disciples, and we share and experience them] abundantly, so through Christ’s comfort (consolation and encouragement) is also [shared and experienced] abundantly by us.

Now this passage is a favorite of mine. I have spent some time on it in the past ten years meditating it. Paul bursts into thanksgiving to God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Paul addresses the full title of God. As we saw in the Old Testament: the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, or the God of Jacob. Paul is brought news from Titus in Macedonia. In all Paul had in afflictions, he was conscious of God’s comforting presence. As Paul was comforted, he comforted those around him. It is a comfort that comes as the form of encouragement and exhortation. We are not comforted to be made comfortable, but to be comforted to fly to the aid of him on “death’s bed” or one who is home under Dr.’s care!

Our association with Jesus Christ brings from others: suffer that is brought on by reproach, by rejection, hostility, hatred, denial, betrayal, and much more. But we to them in His name. We appear as His hands, His feet and speak His words!

 The New Testament presents Jesus as the supreme example of empathy: as one who fully understands both the experience of God and the experience of humanity.  And Paul challenges followers of Jesus to empathize fully with Jesus’ faith and Jesus’ death, and to hope for his resurrection as seen in 1 Corinthians 1:3-5! Jesus was active and moving: He was about removing those trenches of religious beliefs.

This came through Jesus…to comfort us.

While we still walk on earth, might we initiate grace to the least of them like Jesus did? Might we serve those who dishonored Him the most?  His beliefs were not fables, nor a fairy tale but truth held in His heart. He was sent by the Father, manifested to be heard and to be seen with eyes. He was manifested and bear witness of eternal life which was with the Father and manifested to the apostles indeed.

He was on His mission for Salvation who kept the future focus, faith and determination in His speaking. He always acted on a complete conviction. He came, would face persecution and die for many. He came to comfort those in need of a Comforter!  The Message heard, from Him and was declared to us that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. We walk in light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.

Comforter, Helper, or Companion, Holy Spirit You are a wonderful gift to us. You mentor us and teach us. You are our treasured Friend. Thank You for taking time to talk with us today, to converse the thoughts of the Father and to reveal instructions to us. Forgive us when we have shown a short fuse for anything of the world. Forgive us for failing to heed Your instruction just when we require it the most.

Please un-clutter us of distractions so that we may hear Your voice and obey You without question.  In Jesus’ holy name. amen and amen!

 

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Talking Too Much

I have a list of verses next to my work area when studying God's word. I have several pages typed on such verses of "talking too" much! We live in a world today that people every where think they have a voice and a platform to speak! In most cases, they spend much time talking, not much time listening and end up on the " poor, poor pitiful me" pile because no one listened to them.
Was going over these verses this morning like:
Proverbs 10:19 ESV 19 When words are many, transgression is not lacking, but whoever restrains his lips is prudent.
Proverbs 17:28 ESV 28 Even a fool who keeps silent is considered wise; when he closes his lips, he is deemed intelligent.
Proverbs 29:20 ESV 20 Do you see a man who is hasty in his words? There is more hope for a fool than for him.
Yikes!
That is dangerous when speaking many and especially hasty words and this tells us there is more hope for a fool than for him.

David was one who regarded help in this area. He asked the Lord: Psalms 141:3 Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips!
There is great benefit to speaking wisely! For when we speak many words, then sin is close by. We are told in Proverbs 10:19 that transgression is not lacking. Yes, that is sin! James 1:19 tells us to be "swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath."

Our lives must represent the character to which we speak about to others. Do our lives appear as the "disciplined" or one of chaos? Do we make those rash decisions speaking rash words because we are bound and determined that we are "right". We must check our hearts and check within God's word where our though process is headed. Everyone wants to stand out, to be the different, but being different must mean that which stands against killing babies, against lies and hypocrisy and to stand with truth within God's standard which is His word. When we align there then our way is made level.
Jesus spoke this: Matthew 12:36 ESV 36 "I tell you on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak.
Amplified Bible reads this way: 36 But I tell you, on the day of judgment men will have to give account for every idle (inoperative, nonworking) word they speak.

Hebrews 4:12 Amp. Bible 12 For the word that God speaks is alive and full of power [making it active, operative, energizing and effective], it is sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating to the dividing line of the breath of life (soul) and [the immortal] spirit, and of and joints and marrow [of the deepest parts of our nature], exposing  and sifting and analyzing and judging the very thoughts and purposes of the heart.

It is only God's Word that will work! Man's words are many, full of boasting and pride. But God in His Word gets down to innermost of our being to brings us into the revelation of His truth and deliver us from the miry past into a life of peace, joy and love in the Holy Spirit.

Proverbs 18:21 reminds us that 'death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit." Yes, one pathway is unto death and the fruit it produces. The other is the pathway of life leading to more life.
That same power works in everyone's tongues, not just for those who are saved, but those who are lost: those who sing songs about death and dying, who speak of killing and posting it, of speak of defilement and proceed into it, for we truly must guard our eyes and our ears.
There have been Christians songs that tend toward rendering death to the listening ear. No, truly we must know and understand........regard that our heavenly Father knows best and that we must watch what we put into our hearts. We must ask for the "discerning" heart to know truth and reside in it.

May we become content in God's word for when we do we will not go out to harass others with quarrels and fretfulness. When the peace of God resides in you and in me, we make for the peaceful home, the peaceful community and nation. May we be used to encourage others with truth, and reflect God's extravagant love and not be given to speaking too many words!

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IN THE EYES OF A CHILD

Proverbs 18:7
7 A fool's mouth is his undoing,
and his lips are a snare to his soul.
NIV

The Amplified Bible states this: 

Proverbs 18:7  A [self confident] fool's mouth is

his ruin and his lips are a snare to himself.

Titus 2:6-8

6 Similarly, encourage the young men to be self-controlled. 7 In everything set them an example by doing what is good. In your teaching show integrity, seriousness 8 and soundness of speech that cannot be condemned, so that those who oppose you may be ashamed because they have nothing bad to say about us. 

NIV

Self control in our speech.......is speaking with a sound that cannot be condemned. It is speaking to our husband/wife with sound speech. It is speaking to our children with sound speech. It is speaking in the work place/church with sound speech. It is serious, it is of integrity and it is teaching.

So what are we teaching those around us?

Are we teaching something that will encourage the one standing next to us or are we just discouraging them?

Ezra 4:4-5

4 Then the peoples around them set out to discourage the people of Judah and make them afraid to go on building.  5 They hired counselors to work against them and frustrate their plans during the entire reign of Cyrus king of Persia and down to the reign of Darius king of Persia. 

NIV

In the above, we are reminded of those who just want to stop people. In just a few words they were to create delays and hinder the work. The hired came to trouble.

They were being discouraged at every turn of work they tried to deliver. They became the discouraged and lost their courage.

In reading in Ezra 4 there is much opposition. And when it is to the plan of the Lord, that kind is the opposition that has the subtlety of the old serpent, satan. In this case, superstition was a high priority and any who opposed it were those building the temple to God.

As in the case with the Israelites, those who pretended to help only wanted to delay the entire work and did not want it to progress any further. What is it written in Psalm 55:21................ His speech is smooth as butter, yet war is in his heart; his words are more soothing than oil, yet they are drawn swords. NIV

Know any people like that? No?

You know they sound really nice with their speech.....

Ezra 4:2

"Let us help you build because, like you, we seek your God and have been sacrificing to him since the time of Esarhaddon king of Assyria, who brought us here." 

NIV

It was a lie! They wanted to hinder .........their kisses as of the enemy....deceitful.

 We can do the same to a love one in our own family!

Any time we speak something against another, and maybe we never thought that it was a "negative" yet caused the other to be provoked is not good and will not build a good relationship and will not carry them forward, but cause them to stop "dead" in their  pathway. I do not want to be guilty of that to any one!  Do you?

What does it look like?

Romans 13:14……….14 Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature.     NIV

Colossians 3:21 Fathers, do not provoke or irritate or fret your children [ do not be hard on them or harass them], lest they become discouraged and sullen and morose and feel inferior and frustrated. [Do not break their spirit.] Amplified Bible

Have you ever seen a conversation between a parent and a child and the child has no alternative but to act their age? One can see from the unfolding moment exactly how the child expects it to play out! And they were right??? They, the child or children even speak what the parent will say next! Yes, they have been down that road before.

CHILDREN WANT TO BE A PART OF THE FAMILY  and I know from previous experience that children must be a part of all that is going to affect, effect, and contribute anything to the family as a whole. Now if it is between the mother and the father, of course not! But anything the child has been a part of is to be included as 'a standing member of the family'.

Is that not the work of the "devil" when we allow any discouragement to come upon our children or grand-children?  Children sometimes do not understand, because of their age, of certain things that a parent or parents are desiring to come to pass for their future. And leaving the child out of it when he/she sees them they become agitated, fretful, and just sullen adds TO the small child's world. The child becomes scared, his/her security is shattered. And does no one see it happening?

They want to understand, but they see everyone who is leading the family has tuned out and turned off..........when the child/children need to hear from them the most at that time.

Romans 13:14.......tells us to clothe ourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ and not to think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature. Would not terrifying a child by acting sullen be creating a force that will break their spirit?

Yes, again it is breaking their little spirit. We can laugh with them when hiking on a sunny day or may be even on rainy day..............no decisions to make, no big deals on the horizon...........but when the ground begins to shake, and the walls start moving, and the child sees a parent or parents shut down, the communication line is down. It is severed!

Should not be this way ever in regards to our child, children or grand-children. They want to be a part and they want to understand.  Children are to be continually nurtured and brought in to understand the workings in the family, not shut down at a moment's notice because they do not understand because of age. Help them to understand. Tell them what is going on, right now!

WHAT IF GOD SAID, "I AM NOT TELLING YOU BECAUSE YOU WOULD NOT UNDERSTAND. I AM KEEPING EVERYTHING SECRET FROM YOU FOREVER!" WOW!

By all means if it is a flesh thing, surely keep it to yourself. For you will have to deal with it sooner or later. But in something that pertains to what God is doing in and for the family it is to involve the entire family. Communication was the secret to Christ's ministry. In keeping step with Him, we keep the testimonies alive. They keep us aware of the God who invades the impossible when the views of those around us are focused on the temporary physical circumstances.

In the eyes of the child, their world is closed off. And without a constant awareness and of our speaking truth about every situation, we keep them connected to us and to the vision God has for the entire family. If we do not do that, then we will see without doubt "vision and ministry" reduced to nothing more than we do in our own strength and amounts to kicking up some dust!
Ever seen those who just "kick up some dust" while they think they are ministering life?

We should not want to kick around the dust. In the scripture below we are reminded of those who go their own way.......Isaiah 29:4

4 Brought low, you will speak from the ground;

your speech will mumble out of the dust.

Your voice will come ghostlike from the earth;

out of the dust your speech will whisper. 

NIV

Understanding that this will occur, we should take the extra step to make sure our child/children/grand-children are involved in decisions that pertain to them: like school, like taking a trip, in any sickness occurring, any project they are involved in, anything we need to live for God, they will also need!
When I was very young, and we went to visit grandparents in another state, I always remember my younger sister desiring sternly for her pillow. It went with her, as some resemblance of her bedtime at home, while visiting in another's home. My Mom always placed it close to the luggage so that it would not be left behind. Kids can be left behind without parents even knowing it. We need to awaken to things of God for our families, our loved ones who God cherishes.  They need to know that we always must go to Him for direction, not looking at the views of others..........and until our young ones are able to do that.........we must be that line that keeps them connected to life and truth in any regard to an outside situation involving the whole of the family.

My prayer today is for those who have been broken, either by previous relationships that broke the human spirit by being provoked, goaded and maligned. I pray for those who have been dealt a great blow by a loved one who came back with anything but love.

Father, thank You for Jesus, the Son of Your love. Who has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love. In Him, we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins. Help us Holy Spirit. You see the damage done. Show us how to minimize that which has been caused. Help us to speak and see restoration to that which has done by our speaking, our own doing, and acts of just provoking another to wrath. Today we desire to be those who will be salt to those in pain and anguish. We choose to be those who will abide in truth and be committed to be responsible when others cross our paths who may be dealing with a loss, or just cut off from God's plan for them by another. Help us to understand in how to communicate with our children and grand-children that we will not provoke them but lead them in life that is everlasting in YOU Father. Show us what to speak and how to be constant in teaching with integrity and not as a spoiled one wrapped up in the flesh nature. It just leads back to the dust.

Father, Your Word is true and we confess and profess that Your Word is for us. You will never leave us or forsake us. We ask today to support those who have trials and tribulations that are weighing them down. We come boldly to the throne of Grace that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in this time of need. (Hebrews 4:16) Strengthen our hearts for the battle ahead and give patience as we wait on You. We pray to be those who rejoice in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfast in prayer. (Romans 12:12)

We are family. We are to act like a family..........and in this journey help us to encourage our family. Help us to be the "kind".

"Your Love O' Lord endures forever----do not abandon the works of Your hands. Amen.

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