Friday 7 October 2016

My heart cries

Have the problems of life ever pressed so heavily upon you that you cry from the depths of your heart? There are many, many things that drive us to cry from the heart. Father, maybe it's the financial problems and the pressure of providing for your family that drives you to tears. Mother, maybe it's that wayward child that breaks your heart. Young person, maybe it's peer pressure or a broken relationship. Or maybe it's something else that breaks your heart: the pain of suffering ill-health or injury; the anxiety from losing a loved one in death; the heartache experienced through regrets; the hurt from a marriage breakup; the feeling of failure when you cannot achieve your grades or goal; the stress of life; or the despair from being disrespected or bullied, etc. etc.


I do not know what you are going through but whatever it is, perhaps you are saying, 'My heart cries.' Like the psalmist, you can say, 'My heart is wounded within me' (109v22). 'I cried with my whole heart' (119v145), and 'I water my bed with tears' (6v6). Yes, you know what it is like to cry yourself to sleep on a pillow wet with tears. No one sees those silent tears or hears those sobs (or so you think). You try to hide the tear-stained face from those around you.

Where do you go? What do you do? There just seems to be no peace for your broken heart. Like the psalmist David you could say, 'My heart is sore pained within me' (55v4). This is no mere physical pain. It is the pain of a broken heart. You know the verses: "The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart" (34v18) and "Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee" (55v22) but they just don't seem to help to heal the heartache. You have prayed and cried to the LORD but you cannot find the comfort you need. Some well-meaning people may tell you that you don't have enough faith or that you haven't left your burdens with the LORD.....you've taken your burdens to Him and, then, you've taken them away with you again. Ah, there may be truth in that but it's easier said than done. The problems are not solved and the heartache remains.

Perhaps I have just been describing something of how you are feeling. Your heart is overwhelmed. It is breaking under the load of your problems. You have no answer. Perhaps you even question why God won't help you. Well, I would just like to share a little thought with you. It is precious to me.
"From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I." (Psalm 61v2)
I refer particularly to those last words, "Lead me to the Rock that is higher than I." In everyday life you sometimes hear people saying that he or she is my rock. Of course, they are not meaning a physical rock like some big rock cave. They are referring to some person that they could depend on to stand with them through their troubles and who they could lean on for strength and encouragement. The Bible calls Christ the Rock. It is to Christ that we need to go when our heart is broken.

But notice it says: the rock that is HIGHER than I. Imagine standing before a massively high, immovable rock and looking up at it. You would be so small beside it. It would not shift when you leaned against it and it could even bring you shelter. Christ our Rock is far higher than us. Focus on HIM....not yourself, not your problems, not your heartache! Worship Him for who He is. Praise Him for what He has done and what He will do. Literally look up to the sky and think about how All-powerful He is; how strong and mighty He is to lean on for strength to face your trials. He is the One you can trust above everyone else. He will not forsake you. He will not fail you. You can depend upon Him to help you and shelter you in all the storms of life. He sees those tears. He hears those sobs. He understands your broken heart. Focusing on Him may not stop the storms in your life but it will change your perspective and hopefully inspire your devotion to Him as you find your strength in Him.