GOD’S PROMISES TO THE HURTING, BROKENHEARTED, DISCOURAGED, AND HOPELESS

BIBLE PASSAGE:
Therefore, since the promise of entering his rest still stands, let
us be careful that none of you be found to have fallen short of it.
(Hebrews 4:1)

MEDITATION:
As we live our lives on earth, we can experience many peaks and valleys.
Sometimes we are on a peak and everything just “feels” right. But there
are times when we are in a valley where things can appear dreary. We
love the peaks, but dread the valleys (which sometimes seem as though
they will never end, and they can cause us to have a tendency to lose hope).

Every day we meet others who may be silently struggling with a huge
valley in their life. However, there are times when that “somebody” is “us”.

We may be trying to cope with an immense amount of stress in our lives;
    we may have financial problems;
    we may have family relationship problems;
    we may have lost a job and are struggling to find a new one;
    we may have lost a loved one and are dealing with the void in our lives;
    we may be struggling with sickness or physical problems;
    we may be having emotional issues; etc.

Regardless of what triggered our hurt, it has thrust us into a valley
which is impacting our daily lives. Some are suffering with emotional
distress and cannot even identify the reason. When we have a close
and trusted friend with whom we can discuss our innermost feelings,
we can find some measure of relief, but it may not be enough to help
us climb out of the valley we are in.

There are large numbers of people who are suffering silently and have
either lost hope, are losing hope, or, are on the brink of feeling hopeless.
They want relief, but are not sure how, and with whom to discuss their
inner issues. The world has created this idea that it is a sign of weakness
if we let others know that we are hurting.

As a result, many are carrying these burdens every day, and when
they observe others who seem to be on a peak without any emotional
issues, it only adds to their pain and suffering. This can deepen the
valley they are in, discourage them, and increase their feelings of
hopelessness.

Is there anything or anyone who can give us the help we need? Yes
there is, but we have to look past the solutions the world has to offer.
The bible uses the word “rest” and “restored” over 500 times. If we
believe that Jesus Christ is real, then we know He understands the
problems and turmoil in our lives.

And, when we believe in His power, we are convinced and assured
that He can provide us with relief that can be found nowhere else.
Our issues may still linger for a time, but He can give hope to the
hopelessness by providing a type of relief and rest that helps us
cope with our issues until they fade away.
    “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened,
      and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28)

Although it may be difficult to achieve when we are in the grip of
our problems, we should try to focus on what we can learn from
our situation. When we do, it changes our focus from negativism
to a more positive outlook.

It also helps us to realize that God is involved, that He cares about
us, that He has plans for us, that we have hope, and that we will be
better for going through the times that we dislike, and would not
wish on anyone else.

Our experiences prepare us to “be there” for someone else who may
be going through the same valley we were in. Imagine the joy of being
able to listen with an understanding heart to someone who has fallen
into a valley of hopelessness; to be able to relate to their questions,
because you had the same ones.

ACTION:
When the Lord sends these devotionals for me to distribute, I never
know why, or who He may speaking to, but I am convinced that He
sends what at least one person needs to hear. For me personally, it
is exciting to see His message for the day.

When thinking about this devotional for today, I was reminded
of how Satan would like nothing better than to keep us captive 
to feelings of hopelessness, and with no desire to look to God for help.

Maybe you are in a ‘silent’ valley and need to hear from God today.
Perhaps you have a friend or family member who needs to hear
about the devotional He sent for today. It could be an opportunity
for “you” to be used by the Lord to encourage someone.

Maybe this devotional has spoken to your heart and given you
a new perspective for dealing with the valleys of your own life,
and/or the importance of ‘being there’ for others who are hurting.

The world wants to say to those hurting,
    “You need to get a grip and move on”,
but the heart of a loving Christian says,
    “Do you want to talk about it?”, “I will listen”, and “How can I help?”
We may not have the answers they need at the time, but we can
show our love and be a friend to them by giving them our undivided
attention and ‘listening’ (really listening).

Too often we want to be quick to advise, but we can be more helpful
by asking questions and listening to them. When others are hurting,
they need to know we care enough to let them share what is on their
heart, rather than having their thoughts interrupted by listening to us.
The bible gives us valuable advice:
    “My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this:
      Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak…”
      (James 1:19)

Pray,
“Heavenly Father, thank You for giving us what the world cannot
provide. Thank You for understanding our hurts and promising to
give us rest from our burdens. I pray that You will help me through
my difficult times and show me how to be a friend to others who are
hurting. Forgive me for allowing my ‘talking’ to take the place of
important ‘listening’. Help me to be better about allowing Jesus to
live in me and through me.”

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