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For the Broken
Andrea Lende • June 12, 2021
Luke 4:18
For the Broken
You can also listen to the devotion and prayer at: https://anchor.fm/andrea-lende/episodes/For-the-Broken-e12l1k5
Luke 4:18
“The Spirit of the Lord [is] upon Me, because He has anointed Me (the Anointed One, the Messiah - to preach the good news (the Gospel) to the poor; He has sent Me to announce release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to send forth as delivered those who are oppressed [who are downtrodden, bruised, crushed, and broken down by calamity].”
The King was sent for the poor, blind, oppressed, downtrodden, bruised, crushed, and broken.
This doesn’t make sense in our world today, because a king does not serve his people.
The people serve the king.
Royalty here on earth means wealth, comfort, and luxury.
And even though Jesus is the Royal Son, He was born in such humble means.
Born without any of the usual comforts a king would have lavishly received.
Even the angels visited the poorest of the poor to tell them about Jesus’ birth.
The shepherds, who were the outcasts of the day, received this holy visitation.
And they rejoiced!
Ah, the love of God.
Our Beloved Messiah and King came to serve the poor.
Jesus not only became Man, but He became the poor Man so He could reach us all.
He came to release the captives, the downtrodden, bruised, crushed, and broken.
I am thankful the Lord came for me.
Thankful He came for you.
We serve a most merciful Lord Who would come for all of us.
Not just come for us but give His life for us.
His love restores.
His love is perfect.
We need only to receive it.
Sounds easy but sometimes it is not.
There are moments and days I don’t feel I deserve His love.
I sit in my yuck and wonder how He can possibly love me.
But as I read this passage this morning, I know He came for me.
Today I choose to accept the undeserving and merciful love of our Lord.
May you find the Lord loves you fully and came to heal your brokenness.
Daily Prayer:
O Lord, my God, thank You for reminding me You sent Jesus for me. You sent You Son to heal the brokenness of my body and spirit. You sent Him to set my soul free. You sent Him to restore me to You. Thank You, Father, for allowing Him to be the sacrificial Lamb for me and all Your people. Thank You for loving me beyond my faults and shortcomings. Thank You for Your forgiveness. Help me receive the love You have for me. Help me walk into the beauty of Your love. May my heart be fully Yours, Lord. Keep my heart soft toward You. Keep me sitting at Your feet. Keep me seeking You instead of the world. Help me bless someone this day. Thank You for hearing my prayer.
Answer: I sent My Son to save you and all My people, My child.
Response: Undeserving of this sacrifice, thank You, most gracious and merciful Lord.
We start a New Year! How exciting! Paul had just finished telling the Ephesians to put off their old nature. They had been run around by their feelings and desires. He told them to be renewed in their spirit. The Amplified Bible defines this to be “having a fresh mental and spiritual attitude.” As we say goodbye to this year, let us put on the new and leave the old behind. We have an opportunity to reflect on what to bring forward into this New Year.
This is a great message for the New Year. We can be in control of our own words. As a mother, I used to tell my children to use their words to explain what was happening in their minds. I tried to help them find the right words. Words that would help the situation and not make it worse. I must do the same thing when talking to them. It’s important to use words that do not damage their spirits. Words that lift up instead of tear down. Even though my children have grown, I still want to be careful how I speak to them because my worlds will impact them for the rest of their lives.
As we approach the New Year, it is a perfect time to take inventory of what part of our lives, our hearts, and our souls are not bearing fruit. What can we give up as this year comes to a close? What do we need to give to the Lord for His cleansing and pruning? The answers to these questions take time. Time with the Lord. We are creatures of routines and habits which serve us well. But we can also change our routines and habits to serve us and the Lord better. So, we can ask God to show us what He wants us to give up so that He can have more of us.
I cannot think of a better verse to meditate on as we approach the New Year. Jesus said, "the kingdom of God is within you [in your hearts] and among you [surrounding you]." For so many years I believed I had to wait to go to heaven to experience the kingdom of God. I have longed to step into heaven and meet the Lord and His Son. However, as we read the Gospels and study Jesus and all that He said, we begin to understand the kingdom of God is all around us. The kingdom of God is within.
Paul wrote to the Colossians and told them he was praying for them. He prayed they would be refreshed, renewed, and invigorated. He also prayed they would be strengthened. May his prayer be heard by the Lord God Almighty on our behalf today just as it was received two thousand years ago. God is the Source of all things beautiful and wonderful. There is no shortage of renewal, refreshment, or inspiration in His kingdom. And as the Creator of this universe, He continues to pour all good things into His people. Paul wrote that refreshment and strength are needed so we may have endurance.
This verse is the perfect verse to reflect on as Christmas comes to a close. The Lord sent His Son to us. He sent Him to this world as a babe. Jesus was given the task of growing up. A difficult one for all of us. He endured the awkward stages we all go through as we grow past them. I look back at old picture and cringe, yes, I cringe. This life provides plenty of opportunities to feel awkward and just plain weird, but our Father loves us as though we are perfect every day of our lives. This is why Jesus came. He came to make us perfect in God’s sight.
God made Himself flesh so He could take away the sins of the world. The story of the very first Christmas was humble, yet the most powerful and loving birth ever recorded in history. All humanity changed in an instant. When Jesus was born, love filled the earth. Love came down and lifted us up. The angels came to tell the shepherds of this beautiful birth. The stars in the heavens also told the story. As we do all tasks that we do to ensure a beautiful Christmas day, may we remember the miracle that God sent long ago. The miracle of all miracles.
The first Christmas was going to be documented, so that it could be read many times over for all Christmas’ to come. It was also documented so the prophecy of the Messiah’s birth would be known to be fulfilled. Prophets of old foretold Jesus would come from the house of David. They also prophesied that He would be born in Bethlehem. And all this came to pass. Even though Jesus would be known as a Nazarene, His beginning began in Bethlehem. God’s divine plan was set in motion with the first census while Mary was at the end of her pregnancy.
What a wonderful passage to read during Christmas week. Our passage touched my heart as I read it through the lens of Jesus’ birth. “It was God [personally present] in Christ, reconciling and restoring the world to favor with Himself.” We have so much to be thankful for in these few short words, “restoring the world to favor with Himself.” So undeserved and yet so graciously given. We are offered favor with the Lord. Imagine having favor with the almighty God, the Creator of the universe. Jesus chose to leave heaven’s door where all was perfect. He chose to be born into this dusty messy world.
Jesus had just spoken to a fig tree and deemed it unworthy to live because it had no fruit on it. His disciples were amazed when they saw the fig tree wither and die. Then the Lord talked to them about prayer and belief. He told them that whatever they asked for, if they had the faith and belief, they would receive it. I remember the day I started hearing music and lyrics. I had just bowed my head at the piano and asked if the Lord would bless praise and worship music. As soon as I prayed that prayer, the Lord bestowed the gift of song writing upon me.