MENDING A BROKEN HEART

“The Lord is near to the brokenhearted.” “He heals the brokenhearted, and binds up their wounds.”  (Psalm 34:18; 147:3)

Let me suggest to you how we can deal with our woundedness and allow God to bind our wounds and heal our broken hearts. God will mend a broken heart, if we will give Him all the pieces.

Frist of all, we need to accept the reality of our wounds. Because God is with us, we can be realistic about our life. God empowers us to accept and face whatever it is that has wounded our life. Real wounds do not go away because we ignore them or suppress them; they only surface in more destructive and dangerous ways later.

Second, we lean on God’s power and strength. One of the things Paul learned in his struggles with his thorn in the flesh was that this wound and weakness made him rely more upon God. He said, “Whenever I am weak, then I am strong.” (2 Corinthians 12:10)

Third, we can hold on to hope. Hope is a necessity for real living, but especially in a wounded [or broken] moment. As Christians, we can have the hope and expectation that life will be good again. It may not be the same, but it can be good again. Hope is belief in possibility. It is not unrealistic optimism that everything will work out and things will be like they were before. It is confidence and faith that however things turnout, God will be with us, will see us through, and will bring healing.

Fourth, we can get in or stay in a healing community. The church is God’s healing community. We are not created to be alone; we were made for community and family. The Bible speaks of the power and strength of community, especially holy community. We give and draw strength from one another.

Finally, we can give ourselves to a cause greater than ourselves and become wounded healers. There comes a time, if we are to be healed, that we turn our attention away from our wounds and focus on something greater than ourselves. Many wounds do not heal because we continuously irritate them by constant examination. If we want to be healed, it helps to forget about ourselves and our wounds for a while and lose ourselves in helping, serving, and caring for others. 

-- Excerpted from “Lord, Give Me Patience!... And Give It to Me Right Now!” by James W. Moore and Bob J. Moore

#6469

BENDING BUT NOT BREAKING

“We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.”  (2 Corinthians 4:8–10 NIV)

In these words, Paul does more than describe hardship -- he paints a portrait of a spirit that endures. When life’s pressures bear down like relentless winds, we find in God a source of unyielding strength. The imagery of being pressed from all sides yet not crushed reminds us that while our circumstances and trials can bend us, they do not define or break us. Like a flexible reed that bows in a storm without snapping, our lives are meant to yield -- to be reshaped by struggle -- so that a newer, more Christlike form of life might emerge.

This concept of “bending but not breaking” is not about pretending that pain doesn’t exist. Rather, it’s about embracing our vulnerability and understanding that our resilience is rooted in the presence of Jesus. When Paul speaks of carrying the death of Jesus in our bodies, he reminds us that every trial offers us an opportunity to die a little to our old selves, making space for the vibrant, transforming life of Christ. Each setback is an invitation to let God’s power flow through us, to transform our weaknesses into testimonies of His strength and love.

Imagine yourself in the midst of a fierce storm. The winds are wild, and the waves of challenges crash against you. In moments like these, you have two choices: to stiffly resist and risk breaking under the pressure or to gently bend, trusting that the wind is shaping you toward your destiny. In bending, you are not surrendering to defeat; instead, you are positioning yourself to reflect the life of Jesus. In every trial, God’s grace is revealed, teaching you that your endurance is not a mark of fragility but of divine resilience.

Embracing the notion of “bending but not breaking” is a journey -- a daily exercise in faithfulness. May this truth continue to inspire you, guiding your steps with the promise that though life may press in, you will never be crushed because God's grace sustains you. 

-- SOUND BITES Ministry™

#6359

TAKING REFUGE IN GOD

“The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; He knows those who take refuge in Him.” (Nahum 1:7 NIV)

I had two daughters who loved to swarm me when I came home at night. As I came in the door one evening, my little girls ran to meet me. One grabbed my leg and hugged me with all her might. I snatched the other daughter up in my arms. The one squeezing my leg said, "Now, I've got all of Daddy." The daughter in my arms replied, "Yes, but Daddy has got all of me!"

Perhaps the question we need to continually ask is, "Does God have all of me?"  

-- Dr. Alan Redpath, adapted 

#6114 

TWELVE ORDINARY MEN – Part 2 of 4

Jesus said, “The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and He must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.” Then He said to them all: “Whoever wants to be My disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow Me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for Me will save it.”  (Luke 9:22-24 NIV)

It was a brief but intensive schedule of discipleship. And when it was over, on the night of Jesus’ betrayal, “all the disciples forsook Him and fled” (Matthew 26:56). From an earthly point of view, the training program looked like a monumental failure. It seemed the disciples had forgotten or ignored everything Christ had ever taught them about taking up the cross and following Him. In fact, their own sense of failure was so profound that they went back to their old vocations for a time. And even at that, it appeared they would fail (John 21:3-4).

But encouraged by the risen Lord, they returned to their apostolic calling. Empowered by the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, they valiantly undertook the task to which Jesus called them. The work they subsequently began continues today, two thousand years later. They are living proof that God’s strength is made perfect in weakness. In and of themselves they were clearly not sufficient for the task (cf. 2 Corinthians 2:16). But God led them in triumph in Christ, and through them He diffused “the fragrance of His knowledge in every place” (v. 14). 

-- Excerpts from “Twelve Ordinary Men: How the Master Shaped His Disciples for Greatness and What He Wants to Do with You” by John MacArthur

#6085

FACING THE STORMS OF LIFE

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
And lean not on your own understanding;
In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He shall direct your paths.”  (Proverbs 3:5-6 NKJV)

Life often brings unexpected storms -- challenges that test our faith and resilience. In these moments, it can be tempting to seek refuge in our own understanding, trying to navigate the tempest with our limited perspective. However, Proverbs 3:5-6 reminds us of a profound truth: our ultimate refuge and strength come from trusting in the Lord.

Religious faith is not merely a shelter from life’s storms; it is the inner strength that empowers us to face them with hope and serenity. When we trust in the Lord with all our heart, we acknowledge that His wisdom far surpasses our own. This trust is not passive but active, requiring us to lean into His guidance and surrender our need for control.

By acknowledging God in all our ways, we invite Him to direct our paths. This means seeking His will in every decision, big or small, and believing that He will lead us through the storm. It is in this surrender that we find peace, knowing that we are not alone and that God’s plans for us are good.

As we face the storms of life, let us remember that our faith is not a mere escape but a source of strength. Trusting in the Lord transforms our perspective, allowing us to see beyond the immediate turmoil to the greater purpose He has for us. With our hearts anchored in His promises, we can weather any storm, confident that He will guide us safely to calmer waters.

– SOUND BITES Ministry, compiled from a variety of sources

#5963

FAITH CHASES AWAY FEAR

“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.”  (Isaiah 41:10 NIV)

Fear imprisons. Faith frees.
Fear troubles. Faith triumphs.
Fear cowers. Faith empowers.
Fear disheartens. Faith encourages.
Fear darkens. Faith brightens.
Fear cripples. Faith heals.
Fear puts hopelessness at the center of life.
Faith puts fear at the feet of God. 
 

-- Phil Callaway

#5916

PERSEVERANCE IN DISCIPLESHIP

“Look to the LORD and His strength; seek His face always.”  (1 Chronicles 16:11)

We survive in the way of faith not because we have extraordinary stamina but because God is righteous. Christian discipleship is a process of paying more and more attention to God's righteousness and less and less attention to our own; finding the meaning of our lives not by probing our moods and motives and morals but by believing God's will and purposes; making a map of the faithfulness of God, not charting the rise and fall of our enthusiasms.  It is out of such a reality that we acquire perseverance. 

-- Eugene Peterson in “A Long Obedience in the Same Direction”

#5764

A TIME OF WAITING

“But they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.”  (Isaiah 40:31)

I'm an impatient, restless person. Slowing down and waiting seem like a waste of time. Yet waiting seems to be an inevitable part of the human condition.

Henri Nouwen said, "Waiting is a period of learning. The longer we wait, the more we hear about Him for whom we are waiting."

Eugene Peterson's paraphrase of Romans 8:22-25 resonates with Nouwen: "Waiting does not diminish us, any more than waiting diminishes a pregnant mother. We are enlarged in the waiting" (The Message).

During a time of waiting, God is vibrantly at work within us. 

-- Luci Shaw in “Nouwen Then”

#5448

OUR REFUGE AND STRENGTH

NOTE: Today’s SOUND BITES is excerpted from a letter Pastor Jeramie Rinne wrote to his congregation on Sanibel Island on Sunday following the devastation of hurricane Ian. It is a good reminder to us all in whatever storms we may be facing.

OUR REFUGE AND STRENGTH

I haven’t had much time or capacity to reflect on the events of the past week. Most of my mental energy has been spent on trying to coordinate efforts, solve problems and find people. But this morning, sitting in my [hotel] bathroom office unable to sleep, I find myself in a rare moment of contemplation. I’m thinking about Psalm 46:

“God is our refuge and strength,
a helper who is always found in times of trouble.
Therefore we will not be afraid though the earth trembles
and the mountains topple into the depth of the sea,
though the water roars and foams
and the mountains quake with it turmoil.”

The Psalmist meant the roaring sea as a metaphor for turmoil and danger, particularly the danger of hostile nations around Israel. But this week we saw the literal referent for that metaphor. We saw the sea rise up and swallow homes, cars, bridges and lives. The storm cut the causeway islands in half. The incredible power of the sea flung boats and cars all over Iona. Ft Myers beach is completely devastated.

The Psalm describes an earth-shattering ocean storm. These verses will never again be an abstraction for us.

Yet we must not forget how the Psalm begins. “God is our refuge and strength, a helper who is always found in times of trouble.” God is our refuge. No storm touches God. God needs no insurance policy because He reigns above the flood. He is the only safe place. God is our strength. God never loses power or fuel. The Lord doesn’t feel anxious or perturbed and has no troubled thoughts about the future. Our heavenly Father is not passing through phases of shock, grief and despair. The Triune God dwells in perfect peace, joy and delight at all times. He is not exhausted or depleted. A helper who is always found. Unlike us, our God is not helpless. He isn’t stuck watching the news, imagining Himself renting a boat so He can sneak onto the island and do something. He is our helper who is always found in times of trouble. Trouble comes and goes. Hurricanes pass. But our helper never changes or leaves us. Even when our future is uncertain and our lives have been completely overturned, we know these things about God. He is almighty, He is eternal and He loves us.

No wonder the Psalmist can look into the tempest and say “Therefore we will not be afraid.” The psalmist is not in denial about the power of the storm. Rather he beholds the greatness and power and lovingkindness of our Lord toward us. God is infinitely willing and able to help His storm-tossed people. The fury of hurricane Ian is a gentle breeze compared to the might of our savior God. 

-- Pastor Jeramie Rinne, Sanibel Community Church, Sanibel Island, Florida

#5445

FREEDOM IN CHRIST

“Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.”  (Galatians 5:1 NKJV)

Those who are critical of Christianity say: God limits people's freedom. The very opposite is true. Only by committing oneself to an infinite freedom can a person be free in a world that in all things seems finite.

Those who are critical of Christianity say: God enslaves people. The very opposite is true. Only by committing oneself to God and His will can a person be set free from slavery to the powers and possessions of this world, of society and of history.

Those who are critical of Christianity say: God lets people say "yes" and "amen" to everything. The very opposite is true. Only his or her relationship with God enables a person to say "no."

Faith, then, gives us the strength to act, to be free, to be decisive, and to persevere.

-- Hans Kung in “Why I Am Still a Christian”

#5384

STOP, LOOK, LISTEN, AND TRUST - Part 2

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, even though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea… ‘Be still, and know that I am God.’”  (Psalm 46:1-2,10 NKJV)

Psalm 46 talks about earthquakes felling mountains, cities being destroyed, nations being in an uproar, kingdoms crumbling… The overall tone of the psalm is anything but quiet and still. One sentence, however, says to “be still” and the focal point of emotion changes from outside chaos to internal rest. That’s why the psalm was written as a song. It proclaimed a message everyone needed to hear.

Let the truth of this verse find a home in your heart today. When life gets busy or chaotic, it’s easy to get distracted. You wind up focusing on problems instead of the One who holds the answer to your problems in His hands. When that happens, stop. Focus on who God is and how much He loves you. Share your own heartfelt psalm of prayer with the God of power and compassion. Be still and know God is near. 

-- From “100 Favorite Bible Verses”

#5220

GOD’S TRUTHS

 “Make them holy by Your truth; teach them Your Word, which is truth.”  (John 17:17 NLT)

God’s truths are not bricks to throw at people, nor are they laws to be rewritten, nor are they trash to put out at the curb.

God’s truths are bread to feed the hungry, directions to guide the lost, power to help the addicted, strength to support the weak, hope to transform the sinner, eternal life to comfort the dying. 

– Author Unknown

#5116

GROWING IN GRACE

“But grow in the grace and knowledge of our LORD and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be glory both now and forever! Amen.”  (2 Peter 3:18 NIV)

When I speak of a person growing in grace, I mean simply this -- that his sense of sin is becoming deeper, his faith stronger, his hope brighter, his love more extensive, and his spiritual-mindedness more marked.   He feels more of the power of godliness in his heart.  He manifests more of it in his life.  He goes on from strength to strength, from faith to faith, and from grace to grace.

-- Bishop J. C. Ryle (1816-1900)

#5030

MOVING COURAGEOUSLY FORWARD

"After the death of Moses the servant of the LORD, the LORD said to Joshua… ‘Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.’"  (Joshua 1:1,8,9 NIV)

God tells Joshua that Moses has died and that he will now lead the Israelites into the Promised Land. This powerful scripture reminds us that God is with us wherever we go and whatever we do. We do not need to be afraid of anyone or anything if we keep the Word of God in our heart. Instead, we can move courageously forward in life and an uncertain world as long as we remember and believe that God is with us. 

-- Author Unknown, adapted from quotescosmos.com

#4958

BE NOT DISMAYED

“Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.”  (Isaiah 41:10 NKJV)

By learning the suffering and burdens of [others], I became aware as never before of the life power that has survived the forces of darkness -- the power which, though never completely victorious, is continuously conquering. The very fact that we are still here carrying on the contest against the hosts of annihilation proves that on the whole the battle has gone for humanity. The world's great heart has proved equal to the prodigious undertaking which God set it. Rebuffed, but always persevering; self-reproached, but ever regaining faith; undaunted, tenacious, the heart of [humanity] labors towards immeasurably distant goals. Discouraged not by difficulties without, or the anguish of ages within, the heart listens to a secret voice that whispers: "Be not dismayed; in the future lies the Promised Land."

-- Helen Keller 

#4913

OUR COMPANION IN OUR SUFFERING

“Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.”  (Psalm 23:4 NIV)

One of the ways in which Jesus is dear to Christians who pray is in His presence to them in times of trouble. For some, Jesus is a brother and companion, the one who accompanies them, who walks along the way with us, who has been where humans have been. He is the Jesus whom the Gospel of John presents as weeping for the death of His friend Lazarus, whom He loved; who sweats blood during the agony in the garden and wrestles with the will of God and the evil of the world, when all His friends have fallen asleep; who later that day cries out on the cross. For others, Jesus is the one who lifts burdens, who takes it from us so we do not have to bear it on our own. For many, He is both. Either way, Jesus is presence… Jesus is God made visible, God made human -- God close to our trials and our everyday life, not distant or uninvolved. This is not the fix-all God or the magician God. The God to whom or with whom we pray in our sufferings is not God as explanation, but God as companion -- a God who suffers and knows suffering…

God as companion in our suffering is both the One who suffers with us and the One on whom we lean. Psalm 46 says, “God is our refuge and strength, a vey present help in trouble.” 

-- Jane Redmont in “When in Doubt, Sing: Prayer in Daily Life”

#4841

TRUSTING GOD

“For I am the LORD your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, ‘Do not fear; I will help you.’”  (Isaiah 41:13 NIV)

How often have you been told in the midst of trouble and difficulty to “hold on to God”? There is enough truth in that advice to make it worth consideration. But, it misses the point if we have that idea as our understanding of what faith is about. Faith is not holding on to God; it’s trusting God to hold on to you, even when you think you don’t have a hold on God.

-- Maxie Dunnam in “Living the Psalms”

#4834

GOD IS WITH US

“Fear not, for I am with you;
Be not dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you,
Yes, I will help you,
I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.”  (Isaiah 41:10 NKJV)

When fear begins to overwhelm us, we can think of the living Christ, whose heart and voice are God’s heart and voice, speaking to us inwardly: “I am here. I will not leave you. Hold onto Me. You are safe with Me. Breathe slowly. Breathe deeply. My healing breath of life is flowing into you. Take My peace into your body. Take My peace into your heart.”

“Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil;
For You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.”  (Psalm 23:4 NKJV)

-- Flora Slosson Wuellner in “Miracle: When Christ Touches Our Deepest Need” 


#4797

GOD’S ALL-SUFFICIENT GRACE - Part 2

“[The LORD] said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness’.” (2 Corinthians 12:9a NIV)

Plunge a sponge into Lake Erie. Did it absorb every drop? Take a deep breath. Did it suck the oxygen out of the atmosphere? Pluck a pine needle from a tree in Yosemite. Did you deplete the forest foliage? Watch an ocean wave crash against the beach. Will there never be another one?

Of course there will. No sooner will one wave crash into the sand than another appears. Then another, then another. This is a picture of God’s sufficient grace. Grace is simply another word for God’s tumbling, rumbling reservoir of strength and protection. It comes at us not occasionally or miserly but constantly and aggressively, wave upon wave. We’ve barely regained our balance from one breaker, and then, bam, here comes another.

“For from His fullness we have all received, grace upon grace.” (John 1:16 ESB)

-- Max Lucado in “Grace: More Than We Deserve, Greater Than We Imagine”


#4793

RENEWED STRENGTH

“LORD, be gracious to us; we long for You. Be our strength every morning, our salvation in time of distress.”  (Isaiah 33:2 NIV)

Life is a hard fight, a struggle, a wrestling with the principle of evil, hand to hand, foot to foot. Every inch of the way is disputed. The night is given us to take breath, to pray, to drink deep at the fountain of power. The day, to use the strength which has been given us, to go forth to work with it till the evening.

-- Florence Nightingale


#4790