 With Broken Hearts 2004 : Week 11 | Printer Friendly Version As we go through life, we experience moments that cause our souls to groan from the pain and weight of the trial. When tragedies hit, the temptation is to question God, His goodness, love and plan for our lives. We’ve all been at points in our lives when we simply don’t understand why what has happened has happened. Recently, our church encountered a season of sorrow; someone we loved dearly was ill. We prayed for a miracle of healing, but it didn’t happen. The friend we loved passed away. We lost a part of us that we cannot replace.  We can never fully understand or explain the tragedies that touch our lives, but the Lord is still in control. Yes, in God’s plan, sometimes, tragic things happen to good people. Look to Jesus Christ, and see the truth of this.
Jesus Christ suffered for the sins of the world. He was beaten, spit upon and crucified so that all of God’s chosen would have their sins forgiven. Never has there been a more unfair event; the perfect son of God, a good Man, was punished for the sins of imperfect humanity. We gained heaven because of the punishment Jesus endured: a punishment that was rightfully ours. There is no justice in this. Jesus was fully God and fully Man, and in His humanity He grieved at the thought of the crucifixion. He knew the pain He would have to endure, and the pressure weighed heavily on Him:
Similarly, the cup did not pass from our friend’s hand, but the Father loves her and those who prayed for her. Our friend would fulfill the life and death the Father set before her. We would all be obedient to the Father's will. Like Jesus we prayed for the Father to grant our desires as humans. This is good; the Father loves to hear our requests. However, like Jesus, we must also say,
The current trial and tribulation you face does not mean God has left you. He promises us that He is always there, and He is working our circumstances for good:
We don't see and understand God’s perfect plan now, but one day we will. When we do, we will be in a place where the friends we love deeply, the saints of God who passed on before us, will be waiting to greet us. In our eternal home, our tears will be wiped away, and we will sing praises to the only One who has ever been worthy: God. Our trials and circumstances do not make our Holy God less worthy of praise. Instead, as He draws us closer through our obedience and suffering, we realize He is more worthy of praise then we ever imagined. For now, we are left with broken hearts. We lost our friend, and we loved her dearly. No words describe what we feel. Yet, despite our sorrow, we thank the Lord for bringing us such a precious gift. She sang like an angel, so perhaps it’s fitting that she now resides with them. Until we meet again our beloved friend, until we meet again… May the grace and peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you today and always… **Words of Jesus Christ appear in red.  Printer Friendly Version Archives | Tell Your Friends | Submit a Devotion |
 Mark 14:32-36 32 They came to a place named Gethsemane; and He said to His disciples, "Sit here until I have prayed." 33 And He took with Him Peter and James and John, and began to be very distressed and troubled. 34 And He said to them, "My soul is deeply grieved to the point of death; remain here and keep watch." 35 And He went a little beyond them, and fell to the ground and began to pray that if it were possible, the hour might pass Him by. 36 And He was saying, "Abba! Father! All things are possible for You; remove this cup from Me; yet not what I will, but what You will." • Read Chapter • Listen to Chapter |
