Hands of The Potter
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Posted: April 16, 2022
Author: Leslie Wittenmyer Psalm 34:18, New King James Version “The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart, and saves such as have a contrite spirit.” |
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Our God is such a good God! When our heart cries, He draws near. And in His way, He lets you know He is there and that He sees you when you are crying, when you are hurting, when you are not well, when you are praying, and when you are praising.
“The LORD is near to those who have a broken heart, and saves such as have a contrite spirit.” (Psalm 34:18, NKJV)
We have all experienced heartache in our lives. These heartaches affect us. They cause internal wounds that no one else can see. But there is One who does see them…Jesus…and He draws near to your broken heart and saves your contrite spirit.
How does He do this? God can do anything! If we read the Bible and obey His commands, we are living in alignment with God’s Word and opening ourselves up to receive God’s goodness. What can we do?
Forgive
For healing to take place we need to forgive. When we hold onto bitterness, it hurts us more than it hurts the person we cannot forgive. It also puts our souls in peril.
“But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother ‘Raca!’ shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, ‘You fool!’ shall be in danger of hell fire. Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.” (Matthew 5:22-24, NKJV)
Love
The Bible tells us to love. Sometimes it’s difficult to love someone who disrespects you or doesn’t treat you how you feel you should be treated. Let me share some scriptures to help us gain perspective on this matter.
“Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become a sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing. Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails…” (1 Corinthians 13: 1-8, NKJV)
“For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith.” (Romans 12:3, NKJV)
“Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good. Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another; not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfast in prayer; distributing to the needs of the saints, given to hospitality.” (Romans 12:9-13, NKJV)
I know this is a lot of scripture to take in, but without love, our words and actions are meaningless. What we must also understand is that God is a just God. If we return evil with good and with love, He will honor us, and He will deal with the other individual.
We must always remember and obey these teachings of the Bible:
Repay no one evil for evil.
Abhor what is evil and cling to what is good.
What is good? God is good! And what is God? God is love!
“Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also out to love one another.” (1 John 4:7-11, NKJV)
Take your cares to the Lord! When we gossip or take it to others before we take it to God, we are telling God that we don’t need Him. We are telling Him that we can handle it on our own. But the truth of the matter is we can’t. Jesus died on a cross two thousand years ago because we couldn’t do it alone.
Look back on your life and think about the times you tried to do it alone. Now compare that with a situation that you willingly surrendered to the Lord. What are the differences? If you haven’t surrendered to the Lord, I urge you to do so now. If you don’t believe, then I dare you to try it once. The worst thing that could happen is… nothing. But I guarantee that God will show up! That’s who my God is! He is my Warrior, my Defender, and my Savior. He goes to battle for me so I know that He will go to battle for you!
“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.” (John 3:16-17, NKJV)
“The LORD is near to those who have a broken heart, and saves such as have a contrite spirit.” (Psalm 34:18, NKJV)
We have all experienced heartache in our lives. These heartaches affect us. They cause internal wounds that no one else can see. But there is One who does see them…Jesus…and He draws near to your broken heart and saves your contrite spirit.
How does He do this? God can do anything! If we read the Bible and obey His commands, we are living in alignment with God’s Word and opening ourselves up to receive God’s goodness. What can we do?
Forgive
For healing to take place we need to forgive. When we hold onto bitterness, it hurts us more than it hurts the person we cannot forgive. It also puts our souls in peril.
“But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother ‘Raca!’ shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, ‘You fool!’ shall be in danger of hell fire. Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.” (Matthew 5:22-24, NKJV)
Love
The Bible tells us to love. Sometimes it’s difficult to love someone who disrespects you or doesn’t treat you how you feel you should be treated. Let me share some scriptures to help us gain perspective on this matter.
“Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become a sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing. Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails…” (1 Corinthians 13: 1-8, NKJV)
“For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith.” (Romans 12:3, NKJV)
“Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good. Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another; not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfast in prayer; distributing to the needs of the saints, given to hospitality.” (Romans 12:9-13, NKJV)
I know this is a lot of scripture to take in, but without love, our words and actions are meaningless. What we must also understand is that God is a just God. If we return evil with good and with love, He will honor us, and He will deal with the other individual.
We must always remember and obey these teachings of the Bible:
Repay no one evil for evil.
Abhor what is evil and cling to what is good.
What is good? God is good! And what is God? God is love!
“Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also out to love one another.” (1 John 4:7-11, NKJV)
Take your cares to the Lord! When we gossip or take it to others before we take it to God, we are telling God that we don’t need Him. We are telling Him that we can handle it on our own. But the truth of the matter is we can’t. Jesus died on a cross two thousand years ago because we couldn’t do it alone.
Look back on your life and think about the times you tried to do it alone. Now compare that with a situation that you willingly surrendered to the Lord. What are the differences? If you haven’t surrendered to the Lord, I urge you to do so now. If you don’t believe, then I dare you to try it once. The worst thing that could happen is… nothing. But I guarantee that God will show up! That’s who my God is! He is my Warrior, my Defender, and my Savior. He goes to battle for me so I know that He will go to battle for you!
“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.” (John 3:16-17, NKJV)
