December 13, 2020
1 John 5:14-15 And this is the confidence that we have in Him, that, if we ask any thing according to His will, He heareth us: And if we know that He hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of Him.
Last night I received a phone call that my grandson was at the hospital. It was thought that he had dislocated his thumb, but when I saw the way that his thumb was positioned, I pretty much knew that it was broke . And later the x-rays indeed confirmed that his thumb was fractured.
Once it was confirmed that his thumb was broke, the orthopedist gave him an injection of numbing medicine so that he could reset the broken bone. My grandson was in a lot of pain, so the orthopedist had to give him something stronger to reduce his pain in order to proceed further with resetting his thumb. After my grandson’s broken bone was reset, the orthopedist put a cast on so that the healing could begin. All that’s needed now is carefully taking care of his thumb and patience.
As I was asleep during the night, the Lord spoke to me and said to bring a message about my grandson’s broken thumb. I asked the Lord how does the broken thumb relate to anything about Christmas or even something for a devotional? I asked the Lord to show me what He wanted ,e to say. The Lord spoke to me and said "Brokenness". The Lord said there are plenty of people who are broken who I’ve had to reset and put back together again. I realized that sometimes people are the most broken at Christmas time.
God showed me how broken I had been many times, including during Christmas and other holidays and how I needed Him to reset me and restore me to wholeness. I remember being in various periods of brokenness during many holiday seasons throughout my life. The holidays were difficult after my brother passed, and very difficult after my Mom passed, after my best friend passed who was like my brother, after my two dogs passed, and other times. People often say that it’s the first holiday that’s the hardest, but sometimes the years, can roll into one big long succession of holidays, as happened with me. Ironically, the steps to my healing paralleled those that my grandson had for healing for his thumb.
The Lord also brought to my attention that while some people are busy celebrating the holidays and in the Christmas spirit and feeling the joy, others are experiencing the worst pain of their lives. Depression, sadness, loneliness, stress, and anxiety tend to be higher during the holidays. People tend to have exacerbation of mental illness, more suicidal thoughts and suicidal rates tend to be higher as well during the holidays.
People tend to drink more alcohol and use more recreational and prescription drugs. Abuse is high during the holidays and crime rates tend to spike, with crimes such as burglary increasing. Addictive behavior escalates as well. These problems don’t just affect the person directly experiencing the problem, but also extends to caregivers and loved ones as well. Just thinking about all of these facts can be very depressing.
The common theme amongst all of these problems is brokenness. There’s something that has been broken which prevents the person from being whole, either acutely at that moment, or part of a chronic problem or condition. The common solution is God’s healing and restoration.
It was God that got me through all of those rough holiday seasons. It was God that got me through all of those Christmases. And whether you are the person directly experiencing the issues, a caregiver, or a loved one, God will get you and/or your loved ones through as well.
God is the Ultimate Doctor, He does it all. God takes on every role, Counselor, Therapist, Advisor, and Doctor. And because Jesus, already bore the stripes for us, there is no brokenness that can’t be healed. By His stripes you are healed- 1 Peter 2:24 Who His own self bare our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by Whose stripes ye were healed.
One thing that people who experience brokenness report is that they feel that no one understands what they are going through. And that actually is true. While some people may have had the same general problem, such as experiencing a loss, each person experiences brokenness differently, because each person’s experience on the road to brokenness is different and people are different.
There’s a saying, you won’t understand my pain until you’ve walked a mile in my shoes. But like some other clichés, this saying is untrue because even if someone walked a mile in my shoes, they’re not me. The shoes by themselves don’t make the experience, nor the path, but the person and all of their unique experiences together determine how someone responds to their personal situation.
Only God has the ability to truly understand what a person goes through because God is the only One who wholly understands each and every person, because He’s the One that made them. Jeremiah 1:5 Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; That doesn’t mean that people do not also play a role in helping someone get through their pain. It just means that no one except God will ever have full understanding of another person’s pain regardless of how similar they feel their situation is to someone else’s.
But, whether you’re experiencing pain or problems directly or indirectly, don’t be afraid to reach out to people. Don’t be afraid to share your pain. God didn’t make man to go through things alone. Even Jesus had the 12 disciples as He was going through His pain. And the Bible is full of other stories of people who relied on the support of others as they were going through their pain, such as Jonathan and David. God is all powerful and He doesn’t need help to do anything. But according to His will, God uses whom He will as part of His plan. In fact, it’s your testimony of how God helped you that will help someone else.
So, this holiday season, this Christmas, trust God to fix whatever has been broken. Trust the Comforter to provide the healing that you or your loved ones need Casting all your care upon Him; for He careth for you 1 Peter 5:7 and let the healing begin. 1 John 5:14 says And this is the confidence that we have in Him, that, if we ask any thing according to His will, He heareth us: And 1 John 5:15 And if we know that He hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of Him.
No matter how deep the problem, no matter how acute or chronic, complete healing restoration is a reality. God is able to fix what has been broken. God is able to reset brokenness. God is able to make new out of old, and turn rubble into a divine masterpiece. Jesus is not only the reason for the season, He is the ultimate answer for every single problem.
Prayer:
Dear Father God,
Thank You Lord for being the answer for every single problem. Thank You for taking what’s broken and making it whole again. Lord, I know that while some people are excited for Christmas to come, there are others who are just as excited to see it go, because of the pain associated with this time of year. People are lonely, they’re sad, depressed, anxious and a host of other problems. And Lord whether they are the one experiencing the problems directly or indirectly, their pain is real. Father God, I ask You to do what only You can do, heal completely and restore. I ask You to fix what is broken. I ask that You make new out of old and take the rubble of brokenness and create a divine masterpiece.
In Jesus name I pray,
Amen
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