Broken Heart

Hi Everyone

This past Monday (23 June) our men’s fellowship, Maximen, from the church met at the home of one of the guys in the group.

We where scheduled to watch the last Louie Giglio DVD in the series which was the teaching on hope and how Jesus is our anchor of hope in times of gut wrenching despair and loss. In my email reminder to the group I apologized for getting behind in the program and that we should have already been finished with this series of DVDs. One of the reasons was that the previous week the DVD player at our other venue broke down and we could not show the ‘scheduled’ DVD. One of the young guys (Arnie) in the group emailed me right back and said, “By now God is saying what program?” I chewed on that comment right up till we gathered for the meeting; it just kinda stayed in my mind rambling around there.

Anyways Monday comes and Johan joins the group for the first time in about three months. I was so pleased to see him. We were chatting and he wanted to tell me something about tithing and give me his current testimony regarding this. I heard him incorrectly and thought he said timing like in God’s timing. Well I eventually sorted out my hearing/listening deficiency and we had a good chat before we started the evening.

Then we all sat down and we started the DVD. I’d watched the DVD about two months before but had forgotten (some would say not surprising) the details of the message. As we were watching the penny suddenly dropped (GERCHUNK!!). Louie was talking about a young girl of 22 who five months after becoming a Christian died in a motor accident. Johan had just lost his dearly beloved niece of 21 in a motor accident in January. I felt like running to the DVD player and switching it off (couldn’t find the remote) but the Holy Spirit just calmed me and told me this is it, God’s program. I was sitting behind Johan and I put my hand on his shoulder, he grabbed it with his hand and held onto my hand almost to the end of the DVD. He was crying. I felt like I could feel his pain.

When the DVD finished I pondered briefly on how to continue. I was going to show the group a live recording of the song My Hope Is You by Third Day (based on Psalm 25). I thought it might be a bit on the loud side for what had just transpired. The Holy Spirit gave me peace and I played it. When it was finished I spoke to the group and I told Johan that if we had been running as planned (my plan!) we would not have shown this DVD tonight. I also told him about the email comment I’d received from Arnie.

Johan then just broke……. His whole body shook in pain, grief and loss as he just cried and cried. He knew this evening was for him. We gathered around him and just put a hand on his shoulder, a hand on his arm and just prayed for him and for God to heal him and for strength. This maybe went on for around 10 minutes and Johan also prayed and cried out to God, sometimes in tongues.

Eventually at the right time it was finished. Then Johan just quietly told us about his niece and the beautiful relationship that he had with her. Her dad had died and Johan was like a father to her, even their birthdays were just a few days apart.

The evening then drew to a close and Johan ended up giving me a lift home and we just chatted to each other and Johan encouraged me greatly with loving words.

Phew! What a program, what a teaching, what a lesson from God.

And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Now the dwelling of God is with men, and He will live with them and be their God. They will be His people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” (Revelation 21:3 & 4)

My Hope is You - Third Day

To You, O Lord, I lift my soul
In You, O God, I place my trust
Do not let me be put to shame
Nor let my enemies triumph over me

My hope is You
Show me Your ways
Guide me in truth
In all my days
My hope is You

I am, O Lord, filled with Your love
You are, O God, my salvation
Guard my life and rescue me
My broken spirit shouts
My mended heart cries out

My hope is You.......
(Third Day 1997 taken from Psalm 25)



LoCTY!

NB. I’ve used this song before on another posting. Thought about putting up another song here, just for the sake of variety, but this is the one that I was played on the evening. Sometimes I play songs because the Holy Spirit previously has blessed me by giving me a song and then I go out and share and/or use it in a teaching/writing.