The Good Shepherd, carrying His own.

Devotional Thought of the Day:
³  “Worship no god but me. ⁴  “Do not make for yourselves images of anything in heaven or on earth or in the water under the earth. ⁵  Do not bow down to any idol or worship it, because I am the LORD your God and I tolerate no rivals.    Exodus 20:3-5 (TEV)

¹  The LORD said to me, “Go again and show your love for a woman who is committing adultery with a lover. You must love her just as I still love the people of Israel, even though they turn to other gods and like to take offerings of raisins to idols.”
Hosea 3:1 (TEV)

441    You are hurt by your neighbor’s lack of charity toward you. Think how God must be hurt by your lack of charity—of love—toward him!

I have sat with many people who are angry, who blame God for the pain and brokenness in their lives.  Living with such pain, they get mad at God; they will claim it is His fault, or that He has abandoned them, they strike out at Him. 

My temptation is to try an answer for God before they are ready to hear the answer or defend the God who needs no defense. Thankfully, He is patient with me, because He is not willing for them to perish. 

And I think we need to see that, this God who is patient, this God who is merciful, this God whose goal is reconciliation and restoration.

We need to see a God who hurts when He is betrayed, who hurts when people are unfaithful, and who embraces that pain to provide an opportunity for those who hurt Him to experience again His incredible love, His limitless mercy, and the abundance of peace.

Yeah, we can hurt God, we can turn our back on Him. He hurts when our pain our anxiety, and the pressures of life seem to drive us away from Him.  When we hurt so much, we ignore His presence, and refuse to let Him comfort us.  He is there, hurting with us, trying to comfort us anyway, trying to heal us, trying to get us to listen, to be still and know He is God.

So how do we minister on behalf of a hurting God, to people who are hurt?   As He does, with great patience, comforting them, allowing them to know they have a refuge, a place to rest, and when they are ready, revealing that to be no less that God Himself.

He is with them, He is with us, AMEN!

Escriva, Josemaria. The Way (Kindle Locations 1086-1087). Scepter Publishers. Kindle Edition.