“For All” – Day Thirteen

11 Sep “For All” – Day Thirteen

Scripture:  Psalm 34:17-20 NLT – “The Lord hears his people when they call to him for help. He rescues them from all their troubles. The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; He rescues those whose spirits are crushed. The righteous person faces many troubles, but the Lord comes to the rescue each time. For the Lord protects the bones of the righteous; not one of them is broken!”

Observation: In the midst of pain and suffering, it’s very easy to feel like God has abandoned us when in reality, God is near to us when we are brokenhearted. Difficult seasons can’t be avoided, but we can have faith that our God will deliver us from that pain and be our strength when we feel too weak to carry on. 

Application: Throughout my life I have experienced pain that I never thought I would heal from. It’s so easy to let your feelings consume you and forget the truths that God’s Word tells us. Have you ever been there before? Have you ever felt like the battle you’re currently in has completely consumed you? Whatever situation in your life may be causing you to feel brokenhearted, God has not left you to face that battle alone. It’s in the battle that God actually draws near to you. For instance, recently in my life as I grew closer to Jesus, I began to realize that the closest friends in my life were not on the same journey that I was on. This led to me losing the people in my life that I felt I needed and it left me very heartbroken. In these moments, I cried out to God and experienced his peace that passes all understanding. This situation showed the importance of relying on God before others because his love is greater than we can even imagine. Isaiah 43:2 says, “When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you.” The pain we go through is for a purpose, and God can use you to encourage someone else in their struggle. Whether you are experiencing the loss of a friend, a struggling marriage, the loss of a job or any other battle, we can be sure God will be with us every step of the way. He has not forsaken us, and he will not allow the flames of life to consume us alone. 

As I look back on that relationship that I lost, I can now say that I am thankful for my pain because I learned to trust and lean on God in a way I had never done before. This also opened my eyes to Godly friendships that I would have never been able to cultivate if I was focusing on the people who were leading me astray. God broke down barriers in my heart through my experiences and even if you are not healed from your pain just yet, be vulnerable towards God and see how he is able to provide strength in your weakness. 

Prayer: Dear God, thank you for not abandoning me in my time of suffering. I know that I can cry out to you for help and you will be with me through my pain. I pray you help me to trust you with my circumstances and I grow from everything I have endured. In Jesus’ name, amen. 

Gianna Dixon

Journey Worship J-Teamer

Gianna began attending The Journey in 2019. She put her faith in Jesus that year and jumped right into serving. She then found her passion for leading worship and has never turned back. The Journey opened Gianna’s eyes to what a life-giving relationship with God looks like and her life has been forever changed. This semester, Gianna will be participating in the Journey Leadership Institute and she is so excited to see how she grows spiritually and in her leadership through the program.

Going Deeper:

• When you are feeling brokenhearted, where do you run to? Be intentional about running to God with pain before anything else.
• Have you allowed your pain to create a gap between you and God? God is always with us through our struggles and when we praise God through them we can be healed. 
• Find community in a J-Group this fall.