Effie Darlene Barba

^{Psalm 34: 17} The righteous cry, and the Lord heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles.

¹⁸ The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.

¹⁹ Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the Lord delivereth him out of them all.

Psalm 51: ¹⁶ For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering.

¹⁷ The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.

¹⁸ Do good in thy good pleasure unto Zion: build thou the walls of Jerusalem.

Once upon a time there was a girl who somehow grew up believing that her worth depended in part upon finding someone who would love her.  She prayed that God would send her that perfect husband who would forever stand beside her.  In her mixed up and confused theology she believed that if she worked hard enough and tried harder to please God, the proof of her having won God’s favor was that he would grant her this one wish.  Her path led her down many roads that led to her only having a broken heart.  She found the one she loved so dearly and withstood whatever hardships the marriage brought to win her husband’s love and when that had finally happened, he died and she was left broken.  At times she compromised God’s laws and so easily excused it in the name of love and believing perhaps that was the best that God had for her and that she would never be good enough for more.   One day she cried out to God. "Why Lord if I love you, do you keep breaking my heart?  Then there in that moment she realized, that it was not God breaking her heart; rather, she was breaking God’s heart.  Christ wept every time she believed He was not enough.  He had been there to shower His love upon her every step of the way.  Much like Christ when he went to raise Lazarus from the dead.  He had come with the greatest gift, He was overwhelmed with excitement at the miracle that He was about to perform.  Yet, when He arrived, all were mourning and none believed He was enough. When He asked, "Do you believe, I am the resurrection of life?"; they mumbled theology with a sad countenance, Oh, yes we know that one day you will resurrect; but where were you when my brother died.  Then Christ wept.  That girl was me. The miraculous thing was that the moment I realized the fact that it had been I breaking God’s heart and not He breaking mine; my life changed.  For the first time, I really began to understand just how tremendously God does love me and that He is more than enough. That was what led me to write the book "A Broken and Contrite Heart".  When I laid all my sins, my failures, my guilt, and my moments of faithlessness at His feet; His answer was "I love you."  When I had come to the end of my trying to work so hard to please Him and to earn His love, I began to learn how to let Him live in and through me.  He never needed me to earn His love, He loved me just as I was.  Through His love He was transforming me into the Princess He knew I could be if I only learned how to Abide in Him.

So, why do I tell you this story?  Because everyday I meet people who are hurting?  I see people struggling to find their way.  I see people with broken hearts searching for love in all the wrong places.  I see Christians who are carrying huge burdens of guilt that weigh them down.  Christ is standing there with open arms of love to heal them and to deliver them. 

 

A TALK WITH GOD

Oh, let me Lord delight in You

And lay all else I hold aside

For no desire could mean as much

As hear Your voice, to feel your touch

And in Your arms abide

 

I feel the safety of your arms

Surrounding me throughout each storm

And when the bitter winter wind

Would bid my very spirit bend

Your breath will keep me warm

 

Forgive me Lord, this fragile heart

Sometimes desires too much

Forgetting You are all I need

Then comes my tears, my plead

To stop and feel Your touch

 

I then can hear your gentle laugh

The love within Your voice

“My child I love you evermore

My gifts on you I freely pour

The best for you my choice”

 

Oh, Lord I want to stay right here

And sit here at Your feet

To never step away from You

And then I cannot lose my view

No chance for fear, defeat

 

“But child I ask then who would go

To tell the wounded broken heart

That I their lonely heart would mend

If not but you, who can I send

If you refuse to start”

 

Then Father, Dear, I must say yes

To go and run Your bidding do

And You will cast aside my fears

Your hand will wipe away my tears

And keep my eyes on You

 

I know that You go with me now

You’re ever present in my heart

I feel Your joy arise within

I feel Your wondrous strength again

Your love will ne’er depart

 

Psalm 32: ¹⁰ Many sorrows shall be to the wicked: but he that trusteth in the Lord, mercy shall compass him about.

¹¹ Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, ye righteous: and shout for joy, all ye that are upright in heart.

Are you joyful today?  Do you Joy in the Lord regardless of circumstances?  Do you fight to hold onto that joy by denouncing evil thoughts in your heart, by reminding yourself daily of what He has done for you, and by recognizing with determination to lay down your desires for counterfeit joys?   Do you see Him as your ultimate joy and seek Him with all your heart? 

Let me give you this thought from Jonathan Edwards as he said it so well.  “The enjoyment of [God] is the only happiness with which our souls can be satisfied. To go to heaven, fully to enjoy God, is infinitely better than the most pleasant accommodations here. Fathers and mothers, husbands, wives, or children, or the company of earthly friends, are but shadows; but God is the substance. These are but scattered beams, but God is the sun. These are but streams. But God is the ocean” wrote Jonathan Edwards. Paul the Apostle knew this and knew that he was to spread that same joy (even when he was a prisoner for the sake of spreading the gospel)  as he wrote; Philippians 1: “²¹For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. ²²But if I live in the flesh, this is the fruit of my labour: yet what I shall choose I wot not. ²³For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better: ²⁴Nevertheless to abide in the flesh is more needful for you. ²⁵And having this confidence, I know that I shall abide and continue with you all for your furtherance and joy of faith; ²⁶That your rejoicing may be more abundant in Jesus Christ for me by my coming to you again.”

Let me end with this quote from Jonathan Edwards so that you might ponder on it and take it up as your moto.

“God’s purpose for my life was that I have a passion for God’s glory and that I have a passion for my joy in that glory, and that these two are one passion.”
― Jonathan Edwards

What is your passion today? 

Isaiah 46 (NIV) 8

“Remember this, keep it in mind,
take it to heart, you rebels.
⁹ Remember the former things, those of long ago;
I am God, and there is no other;
I am God, and there is none like me.
¹⁰ I make known the end from the beginning,
from ancient times, what is still to come.
I say, ‘My purpose will stand,
and I will do all that I please.’
¹¹ From the east I summon a bird of prey;
from a far-off land, a man to fulfill my purpose.
What I have said, that I will bring about;
what I have planned, that I will do.
¹² Listen to me, you stubborn-hearted,
you who are now far from my righteousness.
¹³ I am bringing my righteousness near,
it is not far away;
and my salvation will not be delayed.

God is in Control and Reigns Sovereign over all the earth.  Do you really believe that?  Do I really hold tight to that truth?  Do we question it when we hear of such tragedies as Hurricane Sandy, 911, or the tornado that ripped through Joplin?  Do you believe that God could have spoken one word and the storm would have obeyed?  Yet, since He reigns sovereign over all the earth, why didn’t He stop these tragedies from occurring and why does He allow storms in my own life?  Did He not also say?  John 3:16 (AMP) ^{16 "}For God so greatly loved and dearly prized the world that He [even] gave up His only begotten (^[a]unique) Son, so that whoever believes in (trusts in, clings to, relies on) Him shall not perish (come to destruction, be lost) but have eternal (everlasting) life"   Do you believe that God loves you?  Do you believe that He reigns in sovereignty over all the events in your life?  Did He not say Matthew 10:29-31 (NIV) "²⁹ Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care.^{[a] 30} And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. ³¹ So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows."   If the hairs of your head are numbered and He knows when each one falls out, how intimately does He rule over the minutest details of your life!!! He also said in Romans 8:"²⁸ And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.²⁹ For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.³⁰ Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified."  Do you really believe that?  God is Sovereign,  God loved mankind so much that He was willing to pay the penalty for man’s rebellious heart at a tremendous cost to Himself, and only God knows what part those storms play in His bringing His righteousness and His Salvation near.  Do you trust Him with the storms in your own life?  Do you say, Lord You reign supreme, what gift are you delivering to me in this storm?  Is it faith you are growing up?  Is it hope that you want to grow in my life? Is there some chaff that needs to be sifted out of my life?   Do you want me to find my Joy in You?  No matter what I will trust you–because You, God are in Control.  You will accomplish all that You have planned.

 

Romans 5 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:

² By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

³ And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience;

⁴ And patience, experience; and experience, hope:

⁵ And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.

⁶ For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.

⁷ For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die.

⁸ But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

⁹ Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.

¹⁰ For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.

¹¹ And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.

This is the Gospel–the good news that came to mankind. While we were yet sinners so deserving of the wrath of God against sin, Christ came and died that we might be justified before a righteous and just God.  Christ paid the price.  If I do not see God’s Righteousness, His Glory, His Sovereignty, and His Justice then I can never understand the cost.  God justly hates sin with a wrath that is described as a consuming fire. (Romans 12: 29)   The sin within our covetous hearts separates from God and the gifts He so desires to give to us which are His Joy, His Love, and to one day share in His Glory.  The only way we can approach Him is through righteousness of which I have none of my own.  All my works are but filthy rags before a perfectly Holy God.  Isaiah 64:6 "But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away."  There would be no hope were it not for Christ’s death and resurrection.  He took upon Himself all the furious wrath Isaiah 53: "⁴ Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.⁵ But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.

⁶ All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all."  Yet, Christ’s payment is the only hope that we might have peace with God.  We may stand before the throne of God (the Creator of all the Universe) covered by Grace which can only be ours through faith in Jesus Christ.  Yet, not only is our sin atoned for and we no longer are under the wrath of God, we are now freed to fulfill that which was our purpose.  We may now enjoy an intimate personal relationship with God which is the greatest Joy we could ever know.  We can sing and dance praises because we are showered with His Overflowing Love.  We will one day stand before Him transformed into His Image and Share the Glory which is God’s Glory.  2 Corinthians 3:

^18” But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord. “ That Glory which we are changed into will only point back to Christ and we will stand to sing, "All Glory Be to Christ"

http://marshill.bandcamp.com/track/all-glory-be-to-christ

Isaiah 42 Behold my servant, whom I uphold; mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth; I have put my spirit upon him: he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles.

² He shall not cry, nor lift up, nor cause his voice to be heard in the street.

³ A bruised reed shall he not break, and the smoking flax shall he not quench: he shall bring forth judgment unto truth.

⁴ He shall not fail nor be discouraged, till he have set judgment in the earth: and the isles shall wait for his law.

⁵ Thus saith God the Lord, he that created the heavens, and stretched them out; he that spread forth the earth, and that which cometh out of it; he that giveth breath unto the people upon it, and spirit to them that walk therein:

⁶ I the Lord have called thee in righteousness, and will hold thine hand, and will keep thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles;

⁷ To open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the prison, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison house.

⁸ I am the Lord: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images.

Behold, Christ; though co-eternal and part of the triune (body, soul, and spirit) of God, takes on the form of a servant.  God elected him to bare the wrath of God against sin and as an obedient servant He, the King of the Universe came to earth to pay the penalty of sin for mankind and bids all who would come to come and share in the love that is His, the Joy that is His and the Glory that is His.  The soul of God (the Father) delighteth in His son and the Spirit of God was within Him to assist Him in this journey on earth.  That same spirit dwells within each and every one of us who by faith are adopted into His family.  A bruised reed shall he not break.  Are you bruised today? Has the trials of your life left you broken in pain?  Does your heart ache because after giving all that you have to your marriage, your spouse leaves you and you are lost in your loneliness as you wonder if you just aren’t worthy enough to be loved?  Did you give everything you had to your job only to find that as the years go by, nobody really cared or noticed and you feel your heart rip apart while you struggle to regain that drive within you that died? Be of good cheer, "A bruised reed shall he not break"; instead, He will renew and restore you.  And how is you faith?  Is it a bursting flame of light or is more like the smoking flax that seems on the edge of extinction.  You have heard of this Christ; but you really can’t believe that He cares about you.  The worries and cares of this world have weighed you down and your own tears have quenched the flame until barely there is only smoking flax and so fragile.  Again, be of good cheer for the "smoking flax shall he not quench".  Remember this,   "⁵ Thus saith God the Lord, he that created the heavens, and stretched them out; he that spread forth the earth, and that which cometh out of it; he that giveth breath unto the people upon it, and spirit to them that walk therein:

⁶ I the Lord have called thee in righteousness, and will hold thine hand, and will keep thee,"

Do you know Him?  Did you suddenly realize that He alone was worthy of your praise, even if He never gave you anything in return and even if salvation was not an option? Have you ever come to a place where He appeared so Glorious and the light of His Righteousness revealed the darkness and depravity of your own heart?  Did you realize that the only way for you to have a relationship with perfect righteousness would be to be perfectly righteous?  Understanding that there was no way for you to do that yourself, did you fall before an Almighty God broken into pieces?  Good news, Christ came and paid the penalty for your sin and offers you His righteous in exchange for your sin, if only you believe?

We have a hope in Him,  Joy in Him, and need to return to our focus on Him so that He can heal us, restore us, and renew us.  All these other things that we desire are only counterfeit joy compared to the joy that we may have in Him.