Wednesday Wanderings is a time we set aside to wander in the Presence of Jesus and ponder His truths. When you are ready, prepare your mind, body, and soul to have a transformational encounter with Jesus.
Watch the Wednesday Wanderings Welcome for this week.
Now that we have cleared our minds of the clutter, we can wander on the journey with Jesus.
PREPARATION: In our last Wandering, we welcomed the divine power of the Holy Spirit to help us overcome. This week we are inviting His joy to gladden our wounded, bleeding hearts. When you are ready, you may begin the dialogue with Jesus and state: “Jesus, I invite you to help me to leisurely wander into your Presence. Prepare my heart to receive, and illuminate my spiritual senses to encounter you.”
PROMISE: I Thessalonians 1:6-7a ESV
And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you received the word in much affliction, with the joy of the Holy Spirit, so that you became an example to all the believers…
It is the Spirit who first helps us understand our sadness in light of the purposes and deliverance of God, and it is also the Spirit who ushers in His healing. Let’s take a few minutes today to turn from the sadness of affliction and embrace the joy available in His presence. Will you join us on the journey?
PSALM:Holy Spirit, Light Divine (1817)
By: Andrew Reed, (1787-1862)
Cheer this saddened heart of mine;
Bid my many woes depart;
Heal my wounded, bleeding heart.
Reed turns the joy of the Holy Spirit inward again in this stanza, using it to undo the effects our woes and sorrow have on us. Take a few moments to apply His joy to any sadness you may be nursing today and rest in the unrivaled mercy of our God to you. How gentle He is!
PARABLE: Sadness. All of us struggle with some of this. There are many sources of sadness and they are as varied as they are numerous. Sometimes people do or say things that hurt us. Sometimes we are the people doing the hurting and we later feel the remorse it can bring. Sometimes we are disappointed, and other times we disappoint others. Sometimes the wounds leave scars that are difficult to work through, and that is after the bleeding has finally stopped. All of these kinds of things can cause sadness, and none of us is immune from having to deal with some of this.
So how do you find joy in affliction? Short answer, never easily. Long answer, be drawing close to the source of all joy.
As you draw close to the Lord, you begin to imitate Him. As you imitate Jesus you are able to be become the example that at first you were only following. A key piece of this is receiving the word, even in your affliction. It is not easy to listen to what God is saying when we are hurting, but we must learn this invaluable lesson.
Imagine if Jesus was not able to walk through the affliction of the cross. If He would have turned away before He got there, or not completed His work in the way the Father had designed. Yes, designed. We can accept the fact that God designed the cross for Christ, but sometimes struggle to think that imitating Him will require similar self-denial.
Remember Jesus asking for the cup to be removed? So we are in good company when we ask Him to cause our woes to depart. By the stripes He bore there, we are healed. So do not hesitate to ask for that healing to flow in your life that your wounded, bleeding heart may be whole again.
You can be healed and joyful. But you must ask. This stanza is a simple but beautiful prayer. Will you make it yours today?
PONDER and WANDER: If you choose, Ponder the question: How can I routinely welcome the joy available through God’s healing into my life?
The joy of the Holy Spirit wants to flood your life and bring healing. We must be willing to welcome that joy every day. He has His part which you can not do, but you must do your part and invite Him to come and partner with you and help you with yours. The exercise below expands the simple prayer of this stanza. Use it and continue to develop resonance as you remove things that hinder the flow of His joy in your soul.
Soul care training exercise: If you choose, complete this week’s soul training exercise.
- When you are ready, clear your mind and acknowledge that the Spirit is the joy of God. We must begin there so we are prepared to apply His joy to our sorrows.
- Next, invite the Holy Spirit to come and cheer your heart when you are confronted with the reality of God and the sadness it reveals in your heart.
- As He shows you the woes that needs to be informed and healed by His joy, do not hesitate to ask Him to bid them depart.
- Finally, thank Him that He can heal your wounded bleeding heart, then trust Him to do it today and every day.
PRAYER: Jesus, thank you for sending Your Spirit to help me deal with my sadness. I need His help every day. Help me to remember this and be quick to ask for it. In Your name I pray, Amen.
PRAISE: Now that you have emptied your soul of the clutter and wandered with Jesus, take a closing moment to worship Him and let the work of your wandering fill you with the praise of Christ.
Then take the mindfulness of God’s presence cultivated in these last few minutes of wandering into the next ones and beyond.
Until next time, be Resonant.
The post Becoming Examples in Affliction, with Joy appeared first on Resonant 7.
Image Attributions:
Saddened Heart – https://pixabay.com/photos/people-man-guy-cry-tears-groom-2566201/
Wounded Heart – https://pixabay.com/illustrations/heart-broken-heart-valentine-love-667806/
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