Devotional Song: … GO TO THIS LINK … Please take the time to take in a video of Wayne Watson, singing his song, Friend of a Wounded Heart… declaring the promise of God’s closeness when we’re in the deepest places of loneliness in our lives.
Highlight Passage: Psalm 34: 18 [NKJV] …
18 The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart, and delivers them out of their troubles. … And let us never forget!!!
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Highlight Context – Psalm 34:15-22 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK …
… God is always near and will reach out to those afflicted with loneliness
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Reference Passage #1 - Matthew 11:28-30 [NKJV] …
28 Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”
… He is always there to lift up the dispirited and lonely.
Reference Passage #2 - Hebrews 13: 5 [NKJV] …
5 … He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”
… Always with us … ALWAYS!!!
My Journal for Today: Today’s Our Daily Bread author, Dave Branon, reflected on a friend who was widowed suddenly and how God met her in her loneliness. He wrote: When a good friend suddenly lost her husband to a heart attack, we grieved with her. As a counselor, she had comforted many others. Now, after 40 years of marriage, she faced the unwelcome prospect of returning to an empty house at the end of each day. … In the midst of her grief, our friend leaned on the One who “is close to the brokenhearted.” As God walked with her through her pain, she told us she would choose to “wear the label widow proudly,” because she felt it was the label God had given her.
I have several friends in our church who have lost spouses in the last couple of years; and in each case, the widows or widowers who have dealt with the grief more successfully are those, in my estimation, who have deeper and more abiding relationships with Christ. And they also respond more readily to the caring friendships of other Christians who are trying to come along side them in their time of grief or loss.
For those of us who’re happily married, the prospect of being left alone with the sudden loss of a spouse is always there; and those with close, loving relationships with their loved ones are especially vulnerable to the grief following such a loss. But for them, or for a single person who loses a parent or close sibling or, God-forbid, a child, I believe seeking, finding, and holding on to a close and abiding friendship with Christ is the best proactive prescription to deal with the loss of a loved one should it happen.
And Jesus has promised to be our friend, hasn’t He? He has promised ALWAYS to be there to help us carry the burdens of loneliness and loss [see Scriptures above]. And when we have a deep and abiding closeness to our Savior, we can know that He’ll always be there to be the Friend of a Wounded Heart … as Wayne Watson sings in the linked song above.
So, if you need Him, my friend, go to Him. Let Him lift you up with His love. He’s there for you and will ALWAYS be there for you.
My Prayer Today: Heavenly Father, … Thank You, Lord, for being my friend, especially when I’m feeling alone. … Amen
Blogger Note: Everyday during this year, my daily devotional blogs are influenced by the reading and study of the online devotional blog entitled Our Daily Bread, distributed online via email by RBC Ministries. If you GO TO THIS LINK on the date of my blog, you can read/study the ODB blogs; or you can subscribe to the blog via email at that site.
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