Sustained

The spirit of a man will sustain him in sickness,But who can bear a broken spirit?

Proverbs 18:14 (NKJV)

My dear friend Carolyn was diagnosed with breast cancer two years ago. After a mastectomy, she had to go through six months of chemo and six weeks of radiation. She lost all of her hair, even her eyelashes. On top of that, she has two small children to care for. But I have to say, it’s been an amazing thing to watch her go through this. She is a living example of the fact that “the joy of the Lord is your strength.” Sometimes drawing back from the Lord and away from fellowship is the first thing that we as women do when we are sick or going through a hard time. Carolyn did just the opposite. She continued not only to allow her friends to minister to her, she continued to minister to others.

We can endure physical sickness and pain, but our proverb says, “Who can bear a broken spirit?” The answer for us as women is, no one. If you are reading today and you have been wounded, if you have a broken heart, doctors can medicate, but they cannot heal you. So please write down Isaiah 61. If you read it over and over again for ten straight days, you will find it’s a powerful prescription. Jesus came to heal the brokenhearted. He can turn your ashes into beauty. Jesus was a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. In Psalm 23:3 David declared something you need to know. He said, “[The Lord] restores my soul” (NKJV). And, dear one, he can and will restore you.

Make It Personal . . . Live It Out!

Have you ever broken a bone? When you look at the X-ray, it is easy to see the jagged line. But a broken spirit can’t be seen on an X-ray or MRI. Worse yet, it is sometimes hard to understand the true reason we get to the point of despair. We as women are very complicated; we don’t even understand ourselves. Are you feeling low today, crushed, hopeless, hurting? God has something to say to you: “For I hold you by your right hand—I, the LORD your God. And I say to you, ‘Don’t be afraid. I am here to help you’” (Isaiah 41:13).

One Year Bible Reading

1 Chronicles 1:1–2:17; Acts 23:11-35; Psalm 3:1-8; Proverbs 18:14-15