Isaiah 61:1 The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound.”
Another Valentine’s Day just came and went last week. I’ll never forget the first February 14th Chip and I spent together. My cooking skills, I admit, were pretty limited, but I decided to make him a heart-shaped meatloaf, smothered in red ketchup to celebrate the day. I proudly set my creation on the table, waiting for his praise, when he picked up the knife and started cutting into the heart. I screamed so loudly that he immediately dropped the knife to see what great disaster provoked my outburst. “My heart! My heart!” I cried. Poor guy had no idea what was happening. He was totally oblivious to my food art.
Hearts, in any form, should be labeled “Handle with Care.” It doesn’t take long in life to realize hearts are fragile things, easily broken.
But Jesus came to heal those broken hearts, to save those crushed in spirit (Ps.34:18). What hope! What good news!
And yet a Canadian clergyman recently declared the church should do away with the term “savior” because it makes people uncomfortable. He suggested we use another word, like “guide,” to describe Jesus. That way, those who don’t believe in Jesus, would feel more welcome in our churches.
Of course, if we never feel uncomfortable, we will never see our need for a savior. Admitting our inadequacies and failures can be tough. So I get it. But doesn’t “uncomfortableness” precede most of life’s richest blessings? Like bearing children, or winning a championship? I bet Saquon Barkley experienced a lot of uncomfortableness before winning that Super Bowl ring.
The Bible paints a pretty clear picture of human needs. The Fall has caused us to enter life poor, broken and bound to our self-centered ways. C.S. Lewis writes we are all “jolly beggars.” The greatest joy in life comes in realizing how “beggarly” we are and knowing there is Someone to save us.
I pray we never become oblivious to how much we need a Savior. Nothing heals our fragile hearts like divine dependency on a holy, loving God.