HOPE AND JOY INSTEAD OF MOURNING

Psalms 147:2-3 The LORD builds up Jerusalem; He gathers together the outcasts of Israel.  He heals the brokenhearted And binds up their wounds.

Life is meant to be filled with joy and peace, but for many, it is just the opposite. Some people dwell on a past that is anything but happy and suffer. Others remember joyous times with loved ones who are no longer here. The contrast of present loneliness can bring sorrow and depression.

For those of us who have prayed for healing and we are still sick, we are mourning the life we could have if we were well.

For those who are taking care of people who are sick, we're not only mourning the life THEY could have had, but the life WE could have had.

But there is Hope!

It's not that we'll never have problems or sorrow---but that there is a solution! We go through sorrow, we don't stay in it.

Isaiah 61:1-3 The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the suffering and afflicted. He has sent me to comfort the brokenhearted, to announce liberty to captives, and to open the eyes of the blind. He has sent me to tell those who mourn that the time of God's favor to them has come, and the day of his wrath to their enemies.  To all who mourn in Israel he will give: beauty for ashes; joy instead of mourning; praise instead of heaviness. For God has planted them like strong and graceful oaks for his own glory.
 

This is not an empty promise or lofty words written long ago; this is the Living Word of God. The prophet Isaiah wrote it to Israel, and Jesus, the Son of God spoke it, not only to Israel, but to people of every nation, every background, every social standing---to people like you and me.

How do we avail ourselves of this promise? Just like we receive every single promise of God: we believe and receive. We don't have to work for it or be good enough. The only requirement for having your heart healed is for it to be hurting or broken; the only requirement for being 'bandaged' is being wounded; the only requirement for obtaining peace is to need it?

So, if you are hurting today...now is the time to call on God. He is your Father and He loves you. He'll meet you right where you are.

Maybe you feel like you aren't good enough---that you're unworthy. Maybe you've even done some very bad things. God will accept you right where you're at. He will forgive your sins---all of them! He sent His Son, Jesus to earth to bear your sins AND your sorrows. Jesus died for you and rose again to give you the victory.

If you do not know Jesus as YOUR Lord and Savior, this is a good time to remedy that. Perhaps you would like to pray:

Dear God,

Thank you for wanting to heal me and give me peace. I accept the sacrifice that Jesus made for me. I believe He died and rose from the dead. I ask now that your forgive me for all the wrong things I've done or thought of. I give my heart and my life to you.

Amen.

If you prayed this and meant it, you can be absolutely certain that God heard and accepted your prayer. He will work in your life and in your heart.

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Romans 3:22 Now God says he will accept and acquit us--declare us "not guilty"--if we trust Jesus Christ to take away our sins. And we all can be saved in this same way, by coming to Christ, no matter who we are or what we have been like.

Romans 3:23 Yes, all have sinned; all fall short of God's glorious ideal;

Romans 3:24-25 yet now God declares us "not guilty" of offending him if we trust in Jesus Christ, who in his kindness freely takes away our sins. For God sent Christ Jesus to take the punishment for our sins and to end all God's anger against us. He used Christ's blood and our faith as the means of saving us from his wrath. In this way he was being entirely fair, even though he did not punish those who sinned in former times. For he was looking forward to the time when Christ would come and take away those sins.