Jesus never looks away from a crying heart.

I want to share with you an excerpt from a recent letter I received from David Wilkerson.

Jesus never looks away from a crying heart. God’s Word says, “A broken and a contrite heart, O God, Thou wilt not despise.” (Psalm 51:17) Not once will the Lord tell anyone, “Get hold of yourself! Stand up and take your medicine. Grit your teeth and dry your teeth.” No - Jesus stores every tear in His eternal container.

Do you hurt? Badly? Then go ahead and cry. And keep crying until the tears stop flowing. But let those tears originate only from hurt, and not from unbelief or self-pity.

Life does go on after your crying. You would be surprised how much you can bear, with God helping you. Happiness is not living without pain or hurt. True happiness is learning how to live one day at a time in spite of all the sorrow and pain. It is learning how to rejoice in the Lord no matter what has happened in the past.

You may feel rejected or abandoned. Your faith may be weak. You may think you’re down for the count. Sorrow, tears, pain, and emptiness may swallow you up at times. But God is still on his throne. He is still God!

Look up! Encourage yourself in the Lord. When the fog surrounds you and you can’t see any way out of your dilemma, lie back in the arms of Jesus and simply trust in Him. He wants your faith, your confidence. He wants you to cry aloud, “Jesus loves me! He is with me, and He will not fail me. In fact, he’s working it all out right now. Therefore, I will not be cast down. I will not be defeated. And I will not be a victim of Satan. God is on my side! I love Him, and He loves me.”

The bottom line is faith. And faith rests on this one absolute: “No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper.” (Isaiah 54:17)

Scriptures

As we walk through a season grief let us allow these Scriptures to bring comfort to our church family.

He will swallow up death forever! The Sovereign Lord will wipe away all tears.

Isaiah 25:8

Hear my cry, O God; listen to my prayer. From the ends of the earth I call to you, I call as my heart grows faint; lead me to the rock that is higher than I. For you have been my refuge, a strong tower against the foe. I long to dwell in your tent forever and take refuge in the shelter of your wings.

Psalm 61:1-4

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”

Psalm 91:1, 2

Jesus said... “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die.

John 11:25, 26

“Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.”

John 14:1-3

And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

Revelation 21:3-4

Expectation

So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded.

Hebrews 10:35

Steve Sampson always says, “Our expectation puts a demand on God.” I love that thought. I’ve also heard it said by Evangelist Mike Smalley that, “expectation is a divine magnet God finds irresistible.”

The Bible teaches our faith is an important element in the miracle ministry of God. In the Gospels, Jesus loved it when people had great faith in Him. When Jesus healed the blind men he said, “Because of your faith, it will happen.” (Matthew 9:29) The woman healed in Mark 5 was delivered because of her expectation.

• God notices our expectation!
• Expectation is feared by the enemy.
• Expectation is the key to the miracle power of God.
• Expectation births something fresh in our life.
• Expectation is agreeing with God’s power and plan for our life.

Study God’s Word. Listen to His voice. Believe His Promises. Expect God’s very best for your life!