June 7
Ecclesiastes 7:1-11:6
The other day I saw a patient who I had delivered over twenty years ago. Her anxiety was palpable. She had a tremendous fear of getting sick with something which might hurt or kill her. She explained to me that it was causing some issues with those close to her. Unfortunately she was plagued by a couple of issues from her past. She lost her father when she was a teen. Also, a couple of years ago she got pregnant, and had an abortion, for which she regrets and feels tremendous guilt. We talked about sickness and death, and how everyone is born with a death date, that God already knows (Psalm 139:16). We talked about not being able to even add one minute to her life by worrying (Matthew 6:25-34). I also explained that worrying was one of those sins that is devoid of pleasure. Concerning her abortion, we spoke about God being willing to not only forgive her, but when God forgives, He also forgets (Hebrews 8:12). We then prayed together.
Interestingly, none of these things were pleasant, but she was in a position to repent, and hear counsel from God's Word. We read in Ecclesiastes 7:2-4, "Better to go to the house of mourning Than to go to the house of feasting, For that is the end of all men; And the living will take it to heart. Sorrow is better than laughter, For by a sad countenance the heart is made better. The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, But the heart of fools is in the house of mirth." When we are running on the mountaintops, laughing and without a care in the world, we are often the furthest from God. It is in the valleys, either due to our own actions, or perhaps not having anything at all to do with us, when we can repent, reflect and seek God. We read in 2 Corinthians 7:10, "For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death."
We are living in a world full of hurt. This means we are living in a world ripe for God's kingdom. If you know Jesus as your Lord and Savior, then God has placed you as His messenger, His ambassador, in the midst of these situations and conversations. We can listen and empathize, which we definitely should. But then it is time for us to introduce these hurting individuals to the Prince of Peace. We need to reflect on Jesus' words in Luke 10:2, "Then He said to them, “The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few; therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest."
Messages from Pastor Lloyd Pulley: