I accepted Christ into my heart back in 1994 and I can remember Christmas that year like it was yesterday. Every part of the celebration was filled with such significance; much more so than ever before. As the years went by and the kids got older, Christmas once again became filled with the rush of purchasing presents, having family photos taken, putting up decorations... well, you know the routine. Every Christmas since 1994, I have longed for the same feeling of celebration and significance, but I'm sad to say that many of the years since, it has eluded me. I find myself at the end of it all, exhausted and relieved that it is over. I'm determined that this year will be different. I'm so glad that you have chosen to join me! Let's begin our journey this month to discover the significance of Christmas, by looking to the book of Isaiah, chapter 61, beginning in verse 1. This is the scripture that Jesus read from the scroll in the synagogue, as he was teaching about himself (see Luke 4:16-20).
Isaiah 61:1
"The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is upon me, for the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to comfort the brokenhearted and to proclaim that captives will be released and prisoners will be freed."
The word comfort (some translations say "bind") in Hebrew is chavash, which means - to bind, wrap around, bind up as a wound; cover, envelope; to compress, to stop. The Hebrew word for broken in this passage is shavar, meaning - to burst, break into pieces, wreck, crush, smash; to rend, tear in pieces. Do you have a heart today that's been smashed into pieces? Jesus came to envelope our broken hearts, to wrap himself around them, to stop the bleeding and to heal us!
Are you questioning whether or not Jesus will really heal you and your broken heart? How exactly will He do this for us? Let's look at a woman that Jesus did heal. Read Luke 8:40-48, the account of the woman who had a bleeding disorder for 12 years.
"Now when Jesus returned, a crowd welcomed him, for they were all expecting him. Then a man named Jairus, a synagogue leader, came and fell at Jesus’ feet, pleading with him to come to his house because his only daughter, a girl of about 12, was dying. As Jesus was on his way, the crowds almost crushed him. And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years, but no one could heal her. She came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak, and immediately her bleeding stopped. 'Who touched me?' Jesus asked. When they all denied it, Peter said, 'Master, the people are crowding and pressing against you.' But Jesus said, 'Someone touched me; I know that power has gone out from me.' Then the woman, seeing that she could not go unnoticed, came trembling and fell at his feet. In the presence of all the people, she told why she had touched him and how she had been instantly healed. Then he said to her, 'Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace.'"
She believed that Jesus could heal her, to the point of crawling on her hands and knees through a throng of people just so she could touch the fringe on his garment. After Jesus insisted that the person who touched him come forward, she came trembling and crawling on her knees, admitting that it was her. Look closely at what He said to her... "Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace." Her faith made her well. That means that our faith will do the same for us. We need only have faith that Jesus will heal our broken hearts, and it will be done! Do you question if God loves you that much? Psalm 56:8 says, "You keep track of all of my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book." God loves you enough to collect all of your tears and record each one... that means HE REALLY CARES!
For the next week, let's meditate on the following verse. Each day spend several minutes in quiet, repeating and mulling over this verse. Make sure you have a journal close by, so you can record anything that God may bring to your mind while you are meditating. You can write down any words or phrases that jump out at you that day. As the week goes by, please feel free to share your experience in the comments section.
Psalm 31:7
"I will be glad and rejoice in your unfailing love, for you have seen my troubles, and you care about the anguish of my soul."
Allow Jesus to heal your broken heart, beloved. He really does love you enough to do it!
Until next time... LIFT up your face,
