Mar 30 2008
He Is Near to Us
I am sure many of you are aware that for 12 years I traveled with my faithful companion, my dog, Winston. You may also know that Winston died a year ago. It seems that every week I have people asking me, “Where is that old dog of yours?” As you can imagine, that is very hard on me.
Many of you have experienced a similar loss of a trusted companion and can relate to my pain. I have recently decided to do something with my grief. Starting in the morning I am going to volunteer at the local humane society. I’ve got my rubber boots and gloves and will clean dog cages if that is what they need for me to do.
If your heart is broken today and you have taken that sorrow to the Lord in prayer and you are still drowning in pain, let me encourage you to take the next step forward. Allow the Lord to use you to help others and in so doing, you will find that your heart begins to heal. There are countless ways that you can serve others, such as visiting lonely residents at a nursing home, volunteering to take local pound dogs for a walk, serving meals at a soup kitchen or even visiting those from your church who are hospitalized.
Read the comforting words of David in Psalm 34:18 and allow them to soothe your broken heart:
“The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.”
We know that the Lord comforts those who have fallen into sin and have genuinely asked for forgiveness and repented. Our gracious Lord also draws near to those who are enduring sorrow, disappointment, grief and pain. Today, allow Jesus to envelope you with His loving arms.