God Makes Better

"A merry heart does good, like medicine, but a broken spirit dries the bones."

Proverbs 17:22

Have you ever laughed so hard you cried?  That's what happened to me last night as our family played a board game together.  Something struck me funny and the more I thought about it, the funnier it was.  Later I was reminded of this verse and the tendency is to quote the first part without realising there is a second, contrasting part.  This verse explains the way we feel on the inside has an impact on physical health and vitality.  The way we feel impacts our perspective and response.

As a fit of laughter which soon passes shows, humour and merriment are limited in their effects.  Medicine ingested has a temporary effect and must be taken again when needed.  There are maladies, however, no amount of medicine can cure.  Laughter may temporarily lighten the mood, but it is no cure for folly as Solomon wrote in Ecclesiastes 7:6, "For like the crackling of thorns under a pot, so is the laughter of the fool. This also is vanity."  Solomon knew laughter in itself was vanity and could not cure a broken spirit, for one of the most humorous people I ever knew ended his life by jumping off a bridge.  The joy of the LORD is distinct from merriment because it is a fruit of the Holy Spirit Who fills believers in Christ by grace.

King Solomon observed a broken spirit dries the bones.  This speaks of one who is afflicted, depressed and beat down.  Feeling down on the inside has the ability to sap gladness, thanksgiving and enjoyment of all the gifts and blessings God has provided all people.  Even feelings of brokenness can have curative properties for our character which endure.  Solomon also wrote of these benefits in Ecclesiastes 7:2-3:  "Better to go to the house of mourning than to go to the house of feasting, for that is the end of all men; and the living will take it to heart. ³ Sorrow is better than laughter, for by a sad countenance the heart is made better."  Merriment can leave us empty in the end without self-examination, and sorrow moves us to seek a cure for what ails us.  Jesus came to heal the brokenhearted, and thus in Him we find genuine hope that endures.  When we are sick we want to "get better" (as in a return to the good health we enjoyed previously) and the LORD can utilise continued sickness or sorrow to make us better people than before--more like Christ.

God has given humans the capacity for merriment and sorrow, the opportunity to consider how we feel and to decide to adopt God's perspective in every season of life.  A broken spirit needs more than medicine but supernatural healing from within by the power of Jesus Christ.  When we realise we are without strength, looking to the LORD in faith lifts ours spirits.  Whether your heart is merry or your spirit cast down, take to heart the words of Habakkuk 3:17-19:  "Though the fig tree may not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines; though the labour of the olive may fail, and the fields yield no food; though the flock may be cut off from the fold, and there be no herd in the stalls--¹⁸ yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation.¹⁹ The LORD God is my strength; He will make my feet like deer's feet, and He will make me walk on my high hills."  Though Habakkuk suffered and there were no obvious signs of his situation improving, he was able to better look to God in faith as his depth of character grew.  In the end this was of far greater benefit than hysterical laughter.

Jesus Heals the Brokenhearted

It is amazing how good or bad memories can be triggered by our experiences.  After our boys were grown I held an infant and was surprised how it suddenly took me back in time to when I used to carry them.  Feeling that little life snuggled in my arms, it was like the whole world stopped and I rushed back to a happy place with fond memories.  The smell of bacon being cooked in McDonald's produces a fleeting feeling of anxiety because of the stress I endured day after day at my first job.  Double-cheeseburgers were on the menu that month and during that initial season I cooked up plenty of bacon.  My experiences haven't ruined bacon or double-cheeseburgers for me, and for that I am grateful. :)

The reality is, everyone who is living will have positive and negative experiences.  We will experience grief, loss, sorrow and regret; we will also rejoice in happy news, unexpected blessings, fun and friends.  I have discovered the happiness of the good cannot negate the bad:  having a perspective focused on the goodness of God and His love and grace towards all enables us to patiently endure.  More than words can express I am grateful for the God who heals hearts, redeems lives and saves souls of those who trust in Him.  It is not the hope of a better life or the trappings of success which lift us from depression and fear but the living hope available in Jesus Christ we receive by grace.

In many respects I have led a sheltered life.  I grew up in a family where God's love was present and His grace experienced.  Where a lot of my childhood memories are good, I am aware the memories others have might be predominately painful.  When we have a pain in our leg or foot we limp as we attempt to avoid placing pressure on what hurts, and it is natural to avoid speaking about what has hurt us in the past.  Some hurts never heal on their own.  I heard a story yesterday of a boy who was dearly loved by his dying grandmother.  She promised to give him a special ring as his inheritance to remember her.  After she passed he asked his parents to give him the ring as she intended.  His parents were unmoved:  she was buried with the ring on her finger.  She had died, but her mourning grandson had to live with his parent's decision that deeply wounded him.

Friends, these sorts of wounds do not simply heal over time.  When our hearts have been broken like the shell of an egg it will never be the same--though we use much glue.  Sometimes the damage done in this life can be permanent; physical loss can be catastrophic and total.  Yet there is hope for all people, because there is hope of an abundant life now and a life beyond this world through faith in Jesus Christ.  Isaiah 61:1-3 records words Jesus applied to Himself:   "The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me, because the LORD has anointed Me to preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; ² to proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn, ³ to console those who mourn in Zion, to give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified."

To those bound in sin and guilt, to the brokenhearted and sorrowing Jesus came to comfort and console.  Those who trust in Christ find freedom from crippling anxiety, anger and grief over our childhood, and strength to overcome depression.  Having been born again by faith in Jesus, we receive beauty in exchange for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, and a garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness.  Our whole outlook can change for the better because we have been transformed by the power of God through the Gospel.  Because we have a Saviour and glorious present and future we can recall the past without continuing to be crushed by it.  With eyes of faith we can even begin to see God's hand present in our past to protect, provide and preserve us until now.  Praise God He is a redeemer, healer and Restorer of broken hearts.  In this broken world, in Jesus alone we have a living hope.

Blessing God Today

God has blessed and blesses people in countless ways, and those who are in Christ have had our eyes opened to see and appreciate many of them.  Our lives and all we enjoy are gifts from God, and even trials and pain He allows serve His redemptive purposes for our good.  As I read the Bible last week, it occurred to me how prevalent it is to appeal to peace, joy, contentment and rest as reasons to seek and trust God while these are actually some results from faith in Him.  Could it be people are introduced to Jesus Christ as a source of blessing before they even comprehend they are sinners who need a Saviour?

Imagine an orphaned little boy living in a group home without a father or mother.  Without parents, this child intensely feels a lack in their life and dreams of one day filling it with a dad and mum.  This child may desire a parent like a girl wishes for a cute puppy.  She wants the companionship of a pet and the fun of playing together.  Never having had a dog she doesn't realise a pet requires a lot of expense, hard work and personal sacrifice:  the dog will need to be groomed, fed, cleaned up after and trained.  The orphaned little fellow imagines being tucked into bed by parents will make him feel secure, safe and loved.  Having parents is much more than feeling comfortable at night:  it is being adopted into a new family, growing into a new identity, learning obedience and what it means to honour father and mother.  Being tucked into bed with prayer and a kiss is a tiny part of what being a child of parents mean, and by no means the most important.

I believe God's desire is to be known and loved by people for who He is as revealed in the Bible, and He is a Saviour and LORD of all.  Isaiah 45:22 reads, "Look to Me, and be saved, all you ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other."  There is no greater blessing than being born again by faith in Jesus and being adopted into His family.  We may come to Him as little children who only want to be tucked in at night and be loved, yet over time we begin to appreciate so much more about Him.  We come to realise we could never be worthy to be so loved and we actually deserved eternal punishment for our sins.  All along, regardless of the depth of our understanding, God continues to love and nurture us.  He feeds us faithfully and guides us into all truth.  He spends quality time with us and seeks us out.  When there is a task to accomplish God helps us and works through us to accomplish His will.  What peace, rest and joy is ours as we experience His presence all by God's grace.

The little boy who simply dreamed of being tucked in at night into his own bed never considered his dad and mum would then leave his room to go to their own room.  But God doesn't do that:  the Holy Spirit dwells within us continually as we abide in Christ.  We never need be apart from the LORD who will never leave or forsake us.  The result of faith in Jesus Christ in my life is greater than the reasons I sought Him, and only later I learned He sought me first.  Any longing for Him was preceded by His dying for me so we could live together forever.  Having been so blessed by God, His people ought to bless Him today.

Jesus our Refuge

Jesus died for the sins of the world, there is an important condition every individual must meet to receive the benefit of His atoning work.  We understand well the necessity of our own actions to obtain a college scholarship, apply for a home loan or collect unemployment payments.  Just because a benefit is offered freely we are still responsible to act.  God does not require us to fill out forms or make a deposit.  God has put it in writing He will save all who place their faith in Jesus Christ, and gives us the down payment of the Holy Spirit who lives in us.  With the heart we believe, and with our mouths we confess our sinfulness and Jesus Christ as LORD and Saviour.

After the children of Israel settled in Canaan, God established several "cities of refuge" where a manslayer could flee and seek refuge from the avenger of blood.  Before he was granted entrance to the city, the man guilty of manslaughter needed to publicly confess how he had killed someone without any malice or hatred, how the death was accidental.  Once his case was heard by the elders and judged by the people as innocent of murder, he would be given a safe place to reside.  Those who were unwilling to trek to the city of refuge or openly confess the circumstances of the death they were responsible for, the protection of the city of refuge was of no effect.  Proverbs 28:13 reads, "He who covers his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy."  The arrangement of the city of refuge well illustrates this principle.  There was protection under the law available to those who freely admitted they had accidentally killed another person and placed themselves under the scrutiny and judgment of others for their deliverance from the avenger of blood.

If we will receive the forgiveness and salvation made available to the world by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, we must freely admit our sin and ask to be forgiven.  God is loving to provide a way of deliverance for us through His only begotten Son Jesus Christ, and we must meet His conditions to enter into it ourselves.  These conditions are not according to the Law of Moses etched into stone, but a new way through the Gospel and the shed blood of Jesus.  The resurrection of Jesus reveals His power over sin and the consequences of death and eternal separation from God.  The one who ran to the city of refuge to save his life had much still to lose, and the one who runs to Jesus Christ in faith has all gain:  forgiveness, acceptance into the family of God, an eternal home in heaven and an abundant life today.

We can only see our need for mercy after the realisation we are guilty, condemned and no way to justify ourselves.  The only way we can receive mercy is by going to the God who is ever merciful and gives to those who ask.  Faith takes God at His word and comes to Him boldly to find help and grace in time of need.  Jesus came to seek and save all sinners, not just to prolong the lives of manslayers.  The mercy shown to manslayers and the cities of refuge shows God seeks to save lives, not destroy them.  Praise the LORD for His goodness and the Gospel, for Jesus is our refuge.