my heart cries out

"My heart cries out over Moab..." Isaiah 15:5

Hi my Friend.

As I have shared with you a few post back, I am reading the book of Isaiah. Yesterday as I read this verse, I paused and meditated on them. “My heart cries out for Moab…” The intensity of these words provoked me to search my own heart and question myself. Do I cry out for those whom I despise? When someone I am not particularly fond of is hurting, do I cry out for them? Or even with them? Am I allowing compassion, long suffering and kindness to have its way in me and through me?

In our lives there will be people who will curse the name of the Lord; will you cry out for them? There may be people in your life today who you disagree with their lifestyle; will you cry out for them? Jesus himself said that we will be hated and persecuted; will you cry out for those who hate and persecute you? You may have been hurt in the past (that person will be judged before the throne of God for that) and wounded deeply; will you cry out to God for that person?

This morning I read Romans 12:14-15:
Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, and faithful in prayer. Share with God's people who are in need. Practice hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.

I love this scripture, especially the part that encourages us to mourn with those who mourn. This weekend God vividly painted a beautiful picture of this verse. Saturday was a day of chaos for my family. As I was at church one of my friends called out my name. I turned around and as a soon as I saw her I began to sob uncontrollably. As I walked towards her, it was as if I was walking into the arms of Jesus. [Here comes the beautiful picture] She held me as I cried and I she was crying with me. I could not understand why she was crying. It wasn’t her family that was going through a storm of trials. This verse came to mind, “mourn with those who mourn.” Jesus may I be a woman who mourns with those who mourn.

“My heart cries out for Moab…”
Is there someone around you that is going through a trial, a loss, a time of confusion or is simply being broken before the Lord… cry with them, pray with them and may the God of comfort speak words of life through you.

I pray that we would be a people who are compassionate, abounding in love and crying out for everyone- enemies included.

the bird sings...

Oh, remember that my life is a breath! My eye will never again see good. The eye of him who sees me will see me no more; while your eyes are upon me, I shall no longer be. As the cloud disappears and vanishes away, so he who goes down to the grave does not come up. He shall never return to his house, nor shall his place know him anymore. “ Therefore I will not restrain my mouth; I will speak in the anguish of my spirit; I will complain in the bitterness of my soul. Job 7:7-11
 
 
Hi my Friends.
As I shared with you on Day 4 of my Testimony, the death of my Grandfather left me feeling like a caged bird. Once I posted The Heartbroken Lily, and I read it, I couldn’t help but cry. Not just because of the painful memories, but also for the reason that I now stood on the outside looking in at the repulsiveness of my guilt. About two years ago I had shared with one of my Aunts about this guilt. And even though she did comfort me, I still felt like Job in chapter 7*. The Lord has begun to heal wounds that I myself wasn’t aware of.

Friday night, a faithful friend, led by God, approached me and confronted me. Proverbs 27:6 reminds us that faithful are the wounds of a friend. A few verses down we read that the sweetness of a man’s friend gives delight by hearty counsel (verse 9). She helped me realize that I was limiting God’s sovereign power. I chose to believe that Abuelito's death was my fault and never did I chose to belive that it was God's timing. She helped me see that freedom, complete freedom is only found trusting God's timing and guilt has no place in absolute freedom. She ever so caring and heroically tapped into an area of my life that I had restricted to everyone, including God.

I think, no, I know that God is bandaging my wounds and mending the shattered pieces of my heart. Through my faithful friend, fearless warrior and loving ally, God removed the scab and exposed my wound. He is now healing it with forgiveness, mercy, grace and freedom. At the present, I feel like a bird, no longer caged, that can sing, believing that I will be set free. It is a process, one where I am learning to surrender my guilt and accept the perfect will of God.

“Comfort, yes, comfort My people!”

Says your God.

“ Speak comfort to Jerusalem, and cry out to her,

That her warfare is ended,

That her iniquity is pardoned;

For she has received from the LORD’s hand

Double for all her sins.”

Isaiah 40:1-2

 
*Click here to read Job 7