Topic: Broken Heart? The Lord Is Close [RICK WARREN Devotional 24 May 2024]
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Broken Heart? The Lord Is Close
BY RICK WARREN — MAY 23, 2024
FROM SHAPED TO MAE A DIFFERENCE
“The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.”
Psalm 34:18 (NIV)
We’ve all had our heart broken in some way—maybe by disappointment, fear, shame, rejection, or ridicule.
I would say to you, as your friend, that I’m sorry your heart has been broken. I really am. I care about the hurt that you have gone through because God cares about it. He hurts with you. What was God doing when you were weeping? He was weeping too.
In fact, it is in your pain that God is closest to you, whether you realize it or not.
The Bible says in Psalm 34:18, “The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit” (NIV). How does he do that? He saves us by giving us a heart transplant. It’s his specialty, in fact.
God says, in effect, “For the heart that’s guilty, I’ll give you a heart that’s forgiven. For the heart that’s resentful, I’ll give you a heart that’s full of peace. For the heart that’s anxious, I’ll give you heart that’s confident. For the heart that’s lonely, I’ll give you a heart full of love. The heart that has been bitter and angry? I’ll give you a heart that is forgiving and loving and generous instead. Let me do a heart transplant in you. I will set you free.”
Why do we need freedom? Because we’re all enslaved. We’re slaves to the expectations of other people. We’re slaves to past memories. We’re slaves to future fears. We’re slaves to current pressure. We’re slaves to the opinions of society, and on and on and on.
But all you have to do is open your heart to Jesus Christ and give him 100 percent of your heart. Say, like David in Psalm 119:32, “I run in the path of your commands, for you have broadened my understanding” (NIV).
We must stop limiting God! We can’t even imagine how much he wants to do with our lives. Open your heart to him, and let him transplant your heart for his own.
Talk It Over
- How has God saved you when you’ve been crushed in spirit?
- When has God given you a heart transplant, exchanging your troubled heart for his?
- In what ways have you been limiting God? What has been the effect?
Will you follow Jesus today?
God proved his goodness through his Son, Jesus Christ. The Bible says, “For God loved the world in this way: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16 CSB).
Are you ready to trust God to fulfill his promise of eternal life? If so, start by praying this simple prayer: “Dear God, I believe Jesus Christ is your Son. I confess I have sinned, and I ask for your forgiveness. I believe that Jesus died to take away my sins and that you raised him to life. I want to trust Jesus as my Savior and follow him as Lord from this day forward. Guide my life and help me to do your will. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.”
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