
Brokenhearted–a state of suffering from great sorrow or grief
“The Lord is close to the brokenhearted. He heals all their wounds.”
Psalm 147:3
“That their hearts may be knit together in love….”
Colossians 2:2
What do you think happens when your heart is knit together with love for a fellow brother or sister in Christ? What does it look like when you truly love your neighbor as yourself?
What is the result when someone you have invested into, knit your heart together in love through the fellowship of the Spirit, walks away from the truth that sets them free?
How would Jesus respond?
How interesting it is that God sovereignly ordained it that my devotional passage today for reading through the Bible would be 1 Samuel 15 which describes Samuel’s grief over Saul’s turning away from God.
“The word of the Lord came to Samuel: “I regret that I have made Saul king, for he has turned back from following me and has not performed my commandments.” And Samuel was angry, and he cried to the Lord all night.”
“…but Samuel grieved over Saul.”
1 Samuel 15:10-11, 35
Another godly example of heartbreak over those who go astray is Paul.
“With Christ as my witness, I speak with utter truthfulness. My conscience and the Holy Spirit confirm it. My heart is filled with bitter sorrow and unending grief for my people, my Jewish brothers and sisters. I would be willing to be forever cursed—cut off from Christ!—if that would save them. “
Romans 9:1-3
Paul is specifically talking about the Jews rejecting Christ in this passage but I believe the heartbreak he feels for them can be the same we feel for brothers and sisters who go astray from the truth.
And as the Psalmist writes,
“My eyes shed streams of tears because people do not keep your law.”
Psalm 119:136
I believe heartbreak over the lost or brothers who wander astray is the correct, godly response when one is deeply invested in others. If you truly have your heart knit together in love for a brother or sister in Christ, you will be grieved if they turn away from the truth.
Here at Vision of Hope, we as staff and interns pour our hearts and lives to invest these women. Seeing them leave is heartbreaking. The residents feel like my own children. But they are the Lord’s. However, through the investment and heartbreak, I feel the Lord preparing me to what He’s burdened my heart for–foster care. I would say walking beside the girls in this program is a small taste of being a foster mom.
It breaks my heart to watch women leave the program at Vision of Hope. It is so hard to see them walk away from all the truth they’ve been learning to take their own path. However, it’s not devastating, just heartbreaking. It would be devastating if my only hope for their repentance was through Vision of Hope. But God is so much greater!
The Lord has comforted me over the past several months watching girls leave the program with the fact that He still is sovereign. He is still is chasing after them wherever they go. Vision of Hope is not going to save someone. The staff members here aren’t going to save someone. Rachel Miller is not going to save someone.
I’ve become so utterly convinced of God’s goodness and sovereignty through the challenges I’ve faced here . I trust Him. I trust Him beyond what I can even explain in words. He has shown Himself trustworthy over and over throughout the Old and New Testament as well as personally in my life. Additionally, the Bible, which is completely authoritative and true, says that God’s power is unlimited (Psalm 147:5, Ephesians 1:19)!
Truly, God is so, SO good. And so trustworthy.