NorthStar Community Daily Devotional

Having Heart In A Sometimes Heartless World Day 35 - Week at a glance Scripture focus: The Lord is a shelter for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble. Those who know your name trust in you, for you, O Lord, do not abandon those who search for you. Psalm 9:9-10 NLT Everybody hurts. Suffering can produce spiritual growth, or become a stumbling block. Humility and willingness to consider a different way of thinking about our pain will be necessary for us to adopt a different view of suffering. Depending on our belief system, suffering can produce cyclical misery or joy. It is natural to want to be happy and avoid suffering. It will require a big heart to figure out what Jesus means when he says that those who suffer are blessed. Although the pursuit of happiness is natural, the pursuit of joy requires faith. Vision, identity, purpose, discipline and belief - five words that can help us understand our behavior in the face of suffering. Whether we respond with shaky or strong believing in the face of suffering - God sees our misery, hears our cries, and responds to our suffering with rescue. We have a choice: try to run from our pain, self-medicate our misery, or lean into the suffering - believing more in God's power and willingness to rescue than our own ability to run fast or self-medicate to the point of numbness. This completes the first thirty five steps of your 365 step journey; I pray you are nearer to God as a result of the steps you've taken this week. Recommended reading: Exodus 20 and 21 in the morning; Psalm 28 in the evening. Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it. Proverbs 4:23 TNIV Click "Comments" Below to Join the Discussion Scroll down to the Archive Section to View Previous Devotionals.