It is written in our Scriptures: “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise” (Psalm 51:17). We are “in” but not “of” the world, so that means that we share in the common hardships and sorrows of this world. However, the difference is this: We do not suffer alone, for God’s love surrounds us with comfort. For those who know Yeshua, suffering does not demand an intellectual answer to “why” we suffer as much as it evokes the heart’s cry for God’s presence… In the midst of our troubles the Spirit groans within us: “My soul clings to you and your right hand upholds me” (Psalm 63:8). We come to God in our brokenness, holding fast to his promise of comfort, and God upholds us with his hand. “This is my comfort in my affliction, that your word gives me life” (Psalm 119:50).
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- Psalm 51:17 Hebrew Card (pdf)
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God is not indifferent to our plight, chaverim, and indeed, that is the basic message of the cross… Indeed how can we believe in God’s love apart from the cross? How can we know the truth of his heart? God knows those who are broken and contrite (Isa. 57:15). The LORD is full of comfort; he loves the afflicted, he has grace for the humble, he forgives the fallen, and he revives the heart. Compassion is his nature – as the cross of Yeshua reveals – and therefore we can come to him in our need, in our affliction, as those who are “poor in spirit” (Matt. 5:3). God loves us even when we feel forsaken, all alone in our private struggles. The Spirit impels us to cry out for deliverance and experience consolation in our distress. This is a common experience in God’s people: in our sorrows we seek him, and then we rediscover his mercies and great compassion. Great is his faithfulness (Lam. 3:23).
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- Psalm 119:50 Hebrew Card (pdf)
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