Strength In Suffering

No matter what our circumstances, let us ask God to open doors of opportunity and use us for His purposes. So often our prayers focus on ourselves. Prosper us Lord, Keep us safe Lord, Give us a happy life Lord and so on. When Paul asked the Church at Colosse to pray for him, he didn’t ask for any of those. This is how he puts it... Colossians 4 v2-4 "Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving. At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in prison— that I may make it clear, which is how I ought to speak" Even whilst in prison, Paul is seeking opportunities to share the gospel and we pray that way also. Maybe this is the way to deal with hard times, even when you feel like you’ve got nothing left. Simply asking God to open a door, knowing that if He opens one it will be the right one just for you. God wants to use whatever situation we’re in. He’s done it time and time again with people who have suffered terribly. In our own personal tragedy and pain, we’re praying that God will use us and the situation for His good. Even writing this on our blog today is a way of God using our suffering to reach out to others and we pray that more doors will open to share His love and great hope in the midst of suffering. Prayer - Lord, even though I am going through a tough time right now, please would you show me how You want to use this. Please would You open the doors for me to walk through that will enable You to use this for good. Amen

Matthew 8v23-26 23 And when He got into the boat, his disciples followed him. 24 And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but He was asleep. 25 And they went and woke Him, saying, “Save us, Lord; we are perishing.” 26 And He said to them, “Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?” Then He rose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. ‘Doubt is not a sign of no faith; It’s a sign of embattled faith’ John Piper I believe that if we’re really honest with one another, the majority of us would say that we struggle with the issue of faith. There can be a number of reasons for this We are made to feel like we’re inferior Christians if we seem weak in faith. Maybe life has thrown up some difficult situations and your faith has been knocked in the process. Jesus had great faith and we are told we should also. Jesus said “You will do even greater things.” There may be many more reasons. But I think we need to start being real about faith issues. We hear sermons preached about faith. Soundbite after soundbite, cliche after cliche. Out of context scriptures. The Bible pulled apart to emphasise that we need more faith to be successful, to be fruitful, to see more healing etc. The many of us can become worn out with such preaching and in reality we may need someone to put an arm around us and say ‘it’s ok to struggle, it’s ok if you have doubts’. We all struggle with faith, with doubts at some point and I’m here to say it’s ok. Many characters in the Bible struggled with faith and doubt. From Adam to Abraham. Moses to David, John the Baptist to Peter and Thomas to name but a few. In Hebrews 11 we read a list of men and women who were ‘faithful’ in spite of their weaknesses. We are all on a journey, one of mountains and valleys. There have been times in my life when I’ve had great faith and times when my faith has wavered. Thankfully God works in spite of my faith and this is where we can be misguided that we need great faith for God to move. Jesus of course talked of mustard seed faith, the smallest of seeds. At this time of writing I feel my faith is especially weak, however, I haven’t shipwrecked my faith and God remains faithful. My faith may seem as though it is in a war zone but in spite of that, God is working and keeping me. God seeks after those who will remain faithful to Him however fragile we feel. The word translated faith is 'emunah'. This can be translated faithfulness, integrity, steadfastness. He’s looking for those who will hang on to Him in spite of what they are facing, in spite of their wavering faith. It’s God’s faithfulness that keeps us if we are faith (ful) even in times of weakness and suffering. It’s God who gives us strength for today when we hang onto Him in faith (fulness). It’s God who will keep me until the end if I do not deny Him and remain faith (ful). Paul Tillich wrote, ‘Doubt isn’t the opposite of faith; it is an element of faith’. The disciples, when they were perishing in the storm, in their doubting, cried to the Lord for help. Surely then, there was an element of faith in their little faith, in their doubting. They wanted to remain faithful to Jesus. In my doubting, in my weakness and suffering, I can still find God. Just as the disciples found Jesus and subsequently found calm and peace. May that be true for you today. True faith is shaped by trials, suffering, doubt. Allow all these things to grow your faith as we continue to look to His faithfulness. Prayer - Dear Lord, we thank You that You understand our every weakness. You know our hearts and yet You help us and carry us and rescue us in spite of our little faith. We give You praise that You are indeed our faithful Saviour and Rescuer. Amen

When someone leaves the room and they’ve been gone a long time, you begin to wonder of their whereabouts. When we are going through a difficult time, God can seem like He’s left the room. We can feel as though He has abandoned us - sometimes never to return. When we look at all of the suffering in the world today, we cry ‘where is God’?! Has He really forsaken this world that He caused to be in existence? Questions questions questions. Are there any easy answers to the questions of God’s seemingly ‘loud absence’. A term coined by John Lennox. Even Jesus felt the anguish of His Father leaving and forsaking Him when He was on the cross. Let me encourage you to read Psalm 22. There are no easy answers. However the Bible does point us to a picture of hope. God has not forsaken His creation. From the beginning we forsook Him and His goodness. We’re actually the ones who turned our backs on Him and have been dealing with the consequences ever since. God still longs to be in the room. He longs for us to know Him. He has made this possible more so than ever through Him sending His Son, Jesus. One of His names in the Old Testament is Emmanuel which means God with us. We can look around at the world and see the suffering, we can look at our own lives and see the brokenness, yet God wants to be with us. In spite of everything that we and this world goes through we can have hope in the midst of it all. Ultimately all suffering will disappear one day when He returns and we will all know Him fully, There will be no loud absence, only loud presence, for He will dwell with us completely. For now let’s trust God with whatever we face. If it seems like He’s left the room, call out, seek Him and He will be there for you as He has been there for us. God bless you. Prayer - Thank you Lord that you have made a way for us all to know you through the death of your Son Jesus. In spite of my pain and suffering, thank you that I can still have that intimate relationship with You today. Amen

We all go through seasons, difficult times and experiences when God seems so far away from us. Our circumstances can sometimes dominate our emotions and make us feel that God has abandoned us. The Apostle Paul reassures us in Romans 8v37-39 “Yet in all these things, we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. 38For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, 39nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” One of the enemy’s tactics is to try and make us feel as though Jesus is not in the boat (our circumstances) with us. When the storms come, we can get easily distracted focussing more on what’s in front of us rather than the reality that God is with us. The Bible tells us He will never leave us nor forsake us (Heb 13v5) God’s love for us is unstoppable. He is constantly pursuing us. His desire is for relationship with us, His desire is for oneness. Whatever we are going through, even death itself will not separate us from His love. If you are His child you can be confident that nothing, absolutely nothing will come between you and Him. There have been many times in our situation of suffering when we have felt alone, in despair and that God has abandoned ship. But whenever we feel that way, we have to bring ourselves back to the truth of the Word of God. Yes, our circumstances are very real and the Lord knows our frailty, He knows our weaknesses, but it is IN our weaknesses that God points us back His promises. He says nothing will separate you from Me. Sin separated the first man, Adam from God and we've all been separated since. The good news is that through the death of Jesus, God has taken away our sins and therefore we are now reconciled to Him through the death of His Son and because of His great love. You can connect to God today either for the first time or for the umpteenth time. Let us know today if you’ve done that or need help in doing just that. Let us encourage each other. God bless you. Prayer - Lord please help me to know You more today. In spite of how I feel, would You draw near to me as I’m drawing near to You. Thank You for Your promise to never leave me. Amen

Isaiah 42v3 A bruised reed He will not break, and a faintly burning wick He will not quench; He will faithfully bring forth justice. Jesus quotes this scripture in Matthew 12 after healing a man with a withered hand. He’s just had a conversation with those who say it is not lawful to work (to heal) on the sabbath and shows them the importance of saving, even a sheep, on the sabbath - and how much more important they are to God than a sheep. Yes, Jesus has power to heal and deliver, but He is also gentle and has deep compassion on those who are weak, broken and empty. The reed is an emblem of feebleness, as well as of fickleness or want of stability, Matthew 11:7. A bruised, broken reed is an emblem of the poor and oppressed. (Barnes notes on the Bible) Most would trample on a broken reed, seeing it as worthless and pointless. But Jesus comes to strengthen and hope to those who feel hopeless. The Pharisees in Matthew 12 were more concerned with performing outward rituals and keeping laws. But Jesus was and IS more interested in character, heart and the whole person and most importantly in our weakness and brokenness. The smouldering wick - This refers to the wick of a lamp when the oil is drained - the dying, flickering flame and smoke that hangs over it. It is an emblem, also, of feebleness and infirmity. Jesus would not further oppress those who had a little strength; He would not put out hope and life when it seemed to be almost extinct. (Barnes notes) Jesus wants to fan the smouldering wick into a flame. He did this time and time again through His ministry, whether it was in speaking to the woman caught in adultery or encouraging the thief on the cross next to Him. Jesus reaches out to all bringing life and hope. Ultimately, Jesus will bring forth justice and victory in all its fullness when He returns. Verse 4 of Isaiah 42 text goes on to say ‘He will not grow faint or be discouraged till He has established justice in the earth’ Until that day let us be encouraged that God is for us and God is with us no matter how broken and feeble we may feel. Life can be incredibly tough, and some days we have to draw from God’s resources every single hour. Thankfully we can hang onto God’s character of mercy and grace when we are down and feel we have nothing left. He wants to build us up because we are precious to Him. Maybe God would have you to play a part in fanning someone’s smouldering wick in to flame today. Or strengthening someone who is broken like the reed. As His Body, let’s all look for ways in which we can show love and compassion to those around us. Prayer - Lord, at times I feel like I’m so broken and have nothing left. But thank You that You haven’t finished with me. You bring hope and healing in spite of how I feel today.

The title of this blog is taken from a song that was sung in the 70’s by Al Green. Brokenness can be a good thing in the hands of God. Look at the following scripture. "The sacrifice you desire is a broken spirit. You will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O God" Psalm 51v17 (NLT) The day before Nathanael’s accident I was speaking on Psalm 51. One of the points I emphasised was that in order for us to be truly repentant we need to be broken. Little did I know that the following day we would be completely broken. We are still broken and will be until we see all things renewed at the second coming of Christ. God is doing a healing work, He is dealing with the broken pieces and He will do it in His way and in His time. We will most certainly carry with us the brokenness of that awful day for the rest of our lives. But that is not a bad thing. There is an art in Japan known as Kintsugi. When repairing broken pottery they do so with gold or silver lacquer as it is repaired to enhance the cracks of brokenness. The understanding is that the piece is more beautiful for having been broken. When we have been broken there is something that has been added to us. God wants to mould us into the image of Christ and He will break us if that is what is needed. Dare I say it but we all need to be broken, in ways known only to God. How is a broken heart mended? The world will throw in many suggestions to deal with brokenness. But only God can truly do so. He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. Psalm 147v3 (NKJV) Prayer. Dear Lord, we can see that You are the One who deals with our brokenness. Thank You that You use our brokenness in order to shape us into the people you wants us to be. Help us to move toward You in our brokenness so that You can use it for Your glory and our good. Amen

This will vary greatly from person to person depending on your personal situation, but here are a few tips that you might find helpful… Create space for yourself When you’re feeling hemmed in, it’s time to do something different. Take a break, have a change of scenery, go for a walk and breathe deeply. Be alone with God and read His Word There is great comfort and reassurance in spending time with God and meditating on His Word. Talk and pray with a close friend Have a coffee with a close friend, be honest, share and pray together. Have counselling with someone outside of your circle Spending a few sessions with a trained counsellor can be of great benefit. It’s a safe place where you can confide in someone who is not personally or emotionally involved in your life. Think on good things Our minds can be a battlefield. So train your mind to think on positive and good things. The Bible encourages us to do so. Marvel at God’s creation in the great outdoors. God’s creation shouts God’s praise. Spend time enjoying outside in the fresh air He has made and given us to enjoy. Don’t look back or too far into the future. Enjoy what you have now. We can torture ourselves dwelling on the past or worrying about tomorrow, when the truth of the matter is that we can’t change the past or know what the future holds. We only have now so make it count for the better. Resist the enemies lies The devil, our adversary seeks to pull us down through our thoughts. I am hopeless is a lie. I have no future, is a lie. Try to resist these thoughts meditating instead on what God says - you have a future and a hope through Jesus. Change the routine So often we can get caught in a rut repeating the same routines most days. Dare to be different. Change things up a little, try something new and see the difference. Have an eternal perspective Our afflictions are only momentary although they feel like they will last forever. But eternity is awaiting us all. It’s then that we will be completely transformed in mind, body and soul. Look forward to that.

Psalm 77v7-9 “Will the Lord spurn forever, and never again be favorable? 8 Has his steadfast love forever ceased? Are his promises at an end for all time? 9 Has God forgotten to be gracious? Has he in anger shut up his compassion?” Selah When you are going through a tough battle many questions arise in your mind and it is good to ask ourselves and God difficult questions. One such question I have struggled with is “Has God somehow failed us if we are struggling?” We all have different life journeys and personal struggles. For example, alcohol can be a struggle for many fighting the grip of addiction each day. Sadly my own brother lost his life battling alcohol addiction, although he attended church many times and committed his life to Christ. Still, in the eyes of many he was a failure. But did God fail him? I’ve asked the same question of myself many times. If I let go of God in the midst of my suffering, will I be seen as a failure? Will God be seen as a failure if I haven’t remained strong? or haven’t endured? For those who have devastatingly lost their beloved babies at the hands of Lucy Letby in recent times https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-merseyside-65960514, do they feel that not only has the NHS failed them but that God has failed them also? Maybe these tragic events will sadly keep them from seeking God. Our hearts go out to these families, their lives will never be the same again. The same is true in our situation. Our lives will never be the same again. Yes, our son has survived but living with a traumatic brain injury has changed him and us and how we live. We are living in that suffering. But if our suffering causes our faith in God to dwindle, would He truly going to cast us away forever? Ultimately it is sin that separates us from God. But does our suffering also keep us from God both now and eternally? These are big questions that we shouldn’t be afraid to discuss. We live in a world where suffering abounds and therefore we need Godly wisdom grounded in Scripture to understand God’s character and His faithfulness. God never fails us. He is the great I AM, He is God and His promises are towards us. Lam 3:22 “Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail.” NIV The truth of the matter is that we live in a very broken suffering world with disease, addiction and sin. This does not mean that God has failed us but that the world has fallen far from what God had originally planned for us. But we can take comfort in the knowledge that the Lord has kept us and we haven’t failed Him, His grace is sufficient for us. We and this world are waiting for the final redemption. A time when God will make all things new. A time when every tear will be wiped away. No more sorrow, nor more sickness, no more heartache. Until that time, we must trust that God, the Judge of all the earth will do right. Gen 18:25 Prayer - Lord, you know the thoughts and intents of all of us. Please help us know that you are for us even in the midst of the fiercest battles. Even when we fail you, help us to have the assurance that you’re not failing. Thank You that you’re the God who helps in our suffering. Amen.

1 Cor 13:8 “Love never fails…” Don’t ask… “How are you?” - it is too general and difficult to answer. Instead ask …. “How are you doing TODAY?” Don’t say… “Have a great week!” Instead say… “I will message you in the week to see how you’re doing.” Don’t say… “God knows!” Instead ask… “How can I pray for you?” Don’t say… “This was God’s plan it’ll all work out in the end!” None of us knows why suffering happens. Instead… encourage them with positive scripture. Don’t say… “Call me if you need anything!” It’s a vague offer of help. Instead offer specific help… “I’d like to bring you a spaghetti bolognese on Tuesday or I’m free Thursday can I run any errands for you?” Don’t say… “Things could be so much worse you should be thankful, count your blessings” You can’t minimise pain this way. Instead say… “I’m sorry you’re feeling this way”. And listen to understand, more than speak. Don’t say… “I’ll pray for you” People usually forget. Instead say… “Can I take a few moments to pray for you right NOW” Don’t say… “Lets meet up sometime!” It sounds casual and uncaring. Instead say… “I’m really glad you feel you can share with me. Let’s make a date NOW to have a coffee and talk some more”. Don’t say… “lots of Bible characters suffered, it’s scriptural!” This is like a discouraging mini sermon. Instead say… “You’re not alone in your suffering, let’s look at scripture together or testimonies to encourage us”. Don’t say… “Sounds like you’re not handling things well, I’ll drop off some books to help you”. This is unsolicited advice that sounds like veiled criticism. Instead say… “I know you’re facing difficult days, how can I help to encourage you?” 5 extra tips to help your suffering friend Show up in person Offer specific help and encouragement Be consistent Listen to them Pray with them

Whilst in my bathroom the other day, I noticed and read the following quote on a toilet roll pack wrapper ….. ’Rebellious hope is good but early diagnosis is better’ For anyone suffering with cancer this statement is absolutely true - the earlier the diagnosis the better and a rebellious hope helps to generate a positive fighting spirit, much needed for anyone battling this terrible illness. or indeed anyone suffering. During those first critical ten days in the hospital Paediatric Intensive Care Unit, Lindsay did not move from Nathanael’s beside as he fought for his life. She had that fighting rebellious hope, a hope that was never going to give up on our son. Rebellious can have a negative connotation but used in the right manner, in the right context it can be a very beneficial quality, a defiance or dogged determination to overcome. We are so blessed by the fact that we have Jesus who instills hope into our hearts and lives both now and eternally. Romans 5:3-5 “And not only [so], but we also boast in the tribulations, knowing that the tribulation doth work endurance; and the endurance, experience; and the experience, hope; and the hope doth not make ashamed, because the love of God hath been poured forth in our hearts through the Holy Spirit that hath been given to us.” YLT Going through and enduring a tribulation can produce hope in us. It’s a hope that is rooted in God’s love for us. God has a tenacity about Him that will not let us go. He wants to produce hope in us. He wants to produce joy and love and so many other qualities. As we saw Nathanael come out of the induced coma and very slowly begin to recover, an inner hopeful joy albeit amidst deep tragedy would well up within us. Lindsay’s defiance to not give up on hoping and praying fervently for our son’s life paid off. She prayed, read and sang worship songs over Nathanael every hour of every day in those early days with a hope that she says came from God. She had nothing within herself at that time, but God was very present giving her that strength, that rebellious, defiant hope. That hope in the God of all hope. We all need hope because without it, hopelessness can make us weak and crushed, even destroy us. Proverbs 13:12 says “Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.” Whatever tough situation we are going through let’s continue with hope in our hearts and more so that the God of all hope would fill our hearts with Himself. When this life does finally come to and end we can go the sure and confident hope that takes us into eternity with the eternal God who has displayed Himself in Jesus Christ. Prayer - I pray that God, the source of all hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13.

“So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.” 2 Cor 4:18 NLT There used to be a quiz programme on TV a few years ago called “Catchphrase”. It was quick-fire guessing game where contestants simply had to look at the image on the screen and ‘say what you see!’ So often in life when we face difficulties we do exactly that - hopefully not with our mouths, but most certainly in our minds. Like those in the Catchphrase game we ‘fix’ our attention or dwell on what’s before us (our current difficulties/pain) to get the catchphrase (the answer to those difficulties). We seem to give our energy, time and full attention to the problem hoping the answer will come to us. Yet, scripture encourages us to look and to fix our eyes and our thoughts on eternal things and on Jesus. Hebrews 3:1 says, “Therefore, holy brothers and sisters, who share in the heavenly calling, fix your thoughts on Jesus, whom we acknowledge as our apostle and high priest.” NIV Hebrews 12:2 “…fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” NIV As I’m writing this, one question rings loud and clear in my mind… How on earth do I keep my eyes and my thoughts fixed on eternal things? on Jesus? in the midst of pain and suffering? We might be able to for a time. Perhaps an hour or so but it is difficult not to go back to the temporal, to the suffering, to the circumstance right before us. Have you ever had a staring competition with someone? One person may seem like they can stare for hours on end whilst the other gives up after a few seconds. Our eyes might start to water and we can’t wait to blink, to give them some relief. I guess that can be true of life. When we stare at our problems for too long we will need to find relief from somewhere before very long. It is in these times when our difficulties are all consuming, that we must look to Jesus, and think on our eternal home. If we turn our thoughts to the Bible, It can give us relief from the current pain, direction and hope. We will, no doubt go back to staring at our difficult situation and the cycle begins again, but this is because we are not yet in the eternal state God has promised to His children. We must try to keep on enduring, we need to keep on keeping on. The Bible doesn’t exhort us to do things that are impossible, but keep running the race no matter how slow. Keep coming back to Jesus each time. Here are some scriptures to encourage us all today … Psalm 121:1-2 “I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth.” ESV 2 Chron 20:12 “Our God, will you not judge them? For we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.” NIV Psalm 25v15 “My eyes are ever toward the LORD, For He shall pluck my feet out of the net.” NKJV Psalm 141v8 “For my eyes are toward You, GOD, the Lord; In You I take refuge; do not leave me defenseless.” NASB Although we may know these verses well and know they are true. We need God to impress them on our hearts so that they become the very fabric of our being. When I am struggling to cope with the enormity of pain and grief in our situation and try to come to terms with the injuries our son has sustained and how those have affected him and our family - I need God. I need God to help me deal with the struggle of emotions and pressure. When we’re exhausted and struggling to manoeuvre our son from place to place because of his mobility limitations but persist because we want him to improve, we need God. We need God to give us the strength we need and help us deal with the frustration. When we get up in the morning and begin another day, we need God. We ALL do. When we fear for the future and concern ourselves with the things that are out of our control, we need God. Perhaps you can relate to this blog in some way. Let’s turn to God now - He’s all that will get us through. The reality is people can let us down. Churches can let us down. Family can let us down. But God will NEVER let us down. Let’s be like the psalmist who says “As the deer longs for streams of water, so I long for you, O God.” Psalm 42:1 NLT Let us long for God remembering that everything here is temporal. Even Jesus knew that what He was about to endure on the cross was temporal and yet He set His face to do it. Luke 9:51 “When the days drew near for him to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem.” ESV We are told here that Jesus set His face like stone to go to Jerusalem where He would endure the cross. Some say Luke is referring to Isaiah 50:7 “But the Lord God helps me; therefore I have not been disgraced; therefore I have set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be put to shame.” ESV Jesus set His face to endure the suffering on the cross, but knowing it wasn’t the end. Thankfully, we don’t have to endure what Jesus had to endure, but we do have painful circumstances and difficulties in our lives. So in these, let’s think eternally, let’s focus on Jesus who has gone before us as well as all the other saints who endured looking for something far greater. Hebrews 11:16 “But they were looking for a better place, a heavenly homeland. That is why God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.” NLT Prayer - Father, would You please help us to more and more look to You. Help us not to stare at our circumstances so long that we forget You. May we thirst for You, the Living God. May we each and every day know that You are the One who holds us in the midst of every situation. Amen

Do I really know you? do you really know me? The majority of us are experts in hiding behind the tree. When we gather for Sunday bring and share, Forgive me if I only look and stare. I've come to recognise that there are times when the mask can no longer hide the pain, The reality is, that I can no longer walk down this lonely lane. We need to be real, we need to be true, It's then that our love for one another will truly shine through. Discernment is a gift that is greatly lacking, Ask God to use you to help those who may be cracking. I can easily slip the mask on when in a crowd, and slip back into my shell when this tragedy rings loud. Let's help each other to take off our mask, Even when they don't appear to want to or ask. The day is coming when our masks will be gone without a trace, It's the glorious day when we see Jesus face to face. For now let us get to know each other’s weaknesses and all, For then we can truly begin to sense His true call. Alan Howes “We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves. 2Let each of us please his neighbour for his good, to build him up” Romans 15:1-2 Prayer - Lord we are all broken vessels to some degree. Would you please help us to look out for those who are particularly struggling in their brokenness. Give us discernment in reaching out to those around us. Amen.