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April 27, 2008
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=========================== TODAY'S ARTICLE ==========================
When Your Heart is Breaking, by Tom Norvell
Question: "Can you die of a broken heart?"
Answer: "I don't know, but there are times when your heart is breaking
that you wish you could die! It would be easier than enduring the
pain."
Some hearts break because of unfulfilled love. Some hearts break due to
unfulfilled dreams. Some hearts break because of the loss of a child,
the loss of a parent, the loss of a friend, or the loss of a mate. Some
hearts break when others are hurting and there is nothing that can be
done to help them or to ease their pain. Jesus expressed this as
described by Matthew, "When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on
them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a
shepherd" (Matthew 9:36).
When your heart is breaking, you want help. You long for relief. You
long for someone who can fix it. Ron Peltzman's little children's book,
"Mr. Bell's Fix It Shop," is the story of Mr. Bell, a man who could fix
just about anything, "Even a broken heart."
In Michael Card's song, "I Will Not Walk Away," these words speak the
thoughts of a broken heart:
Don't read me pointless poems friend.
Don't diagnose. Don't condescend.
Though you may be right to disagree.
I need someone to weep with me.
When your heart is breaking, that is what we want, isn't it? We want to
know that someone can fix this. When it cannot be fixed, we want to
know that someone is there to weep with us. We don't always want
explanations, even though we may ask for them. We don't need another
book to read, or another famous quote, or another story that proves
"You are not the only one who has ever had a broken heart." We need
someone to weep with us. We need someone to comfort us.
He binds up the brokenhearted.
Job had that from his three friends ... for awhile:
Then they sat on the ground with him for seven days and seven
nights. No one said a word to him, because they saw how great his
suffering was (Job 2:13).
Unfortunately, for Job, they started talking.
Your heart may be breaking today. You may have spent the night weeping.
You may be longing for someone to come sit and weep with you. You may
be crying out to the Lord for help because you feel like a sheep
without a shepherd.
I do not promise a Mr. Bell who can fix anything. I cannot promise that
well-intentioned friends won't share "pointless poems" and useless
platitudes. But I do promise that you can cry out to the Lord and that
when you cry out you will be heard. And, I promise that the One who
hears is close and will provide you the comfort you need.
The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them;
he delivers them from all their troubles.
The Lord is close to the brokenhearted
and saves those who are crushed in spirit
(Psalm 34:17-18 NIV).
Jesus said the following passage referred to Him:
The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has
anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind
up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and
release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of
the Lord's favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort
all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion -- to
bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of
gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a
spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a
planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor (Isaiah 61:1-3
NIV).
When your heart is breaking, cry out to the One who hears and binds up
the brokenhearted. If your heart is breaking, cry out to the One who is
close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.
---------
(c) 2008 Tom Norvell <tomnorvell@mac.com>. Used by permission. A
Norvell Note <http://www.anorvellnote.com> is a weekly email
message from Tom Norvell. Check it out!
RELATED LINKS:
* Broken Spirit
http://www.heartlight.org/articles/200705/20070519_brokenspirit.html
* The Power of the Broken and the Unknown
http://www.heartlight.org/feature/sf_980916_broken.html
* Broken by Sin
http://www.heartlight.org/articles/200504/20050402_brokenbysin.html
* A Norvell Note
http://www.anorvellnote.com
This article can be found on the web at:
http://www.heartlight.org/articles/200804/20080427_heartbreaking.html
=========================== FEATURED PRODUCT =========================
THE SECRET MESSAGE OF JESUS: UNCOVERING THE TRUTH THAT COULD CHANGE EVERYTHING, by Brian McLaren
Unafraid of controversy or the uncomfortable gray areas of life,
McLaren's quest is to find the essential message of Jesus' life - even
if it overturns our conventional ideas, priorities, and practices.
http://shopping.heartlight.org/cgi-shl/link?253
Find more great books, CDs and videos at the Heartlight store! With
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