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Sorrow of Heart
by Dr. Paul Chappell
“And it came to pass in the month Nisan, in the twentieth year of Artaxerxes the king, that wine was before him: and I took up the wine, and gave it unto the king. Now I had not been beforetime sad in his presence. Wherefore the king said unto me, Why is thy countenance sad, seeing thou art not sick? this is nothing else but sorrow of heart. Then I was very sore afraid, And said unto the king, Let the king live for ever: why should not my countenance be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers’ sepulchres, lieth waste, and the gates thereof are consumed with fire?”
Nehemiah 2:1–3
When Charles Spurgeon was just twenty-two years of age, his church had already outgrown their building. While a new facility was under construction, they rented a large hall at Surrey Gardens for services. As Spurgeon prepared to preach to a crowd of thousands, someone yelled, “Fire” and the panicked audience rushed for the exits. Seven people were killed and dozens injured in the confusion. Spurgeon fell into a deep depression and even believed he wasn’t fit for the ministry. When he returned to the pulpit two weeks later, he told the people that he had feared he would never be able to speak to them again.
All around us there are hurting people. Sometimes that pain is noticeable, but often it is concealed beneath what seems to us to be bitterness, anger, or a harsh spirit. While we are responsible to respond correctly to the hardships of life, it is not unusual for even the best Christians to struggle with pain and sorrow. It is important for us to look beyond the surface to see what is causing the reactions of others. While some people are unkind and unpleasant, many times it is a result of a deep level of pain that does not know how to find expression any other way.
Nehemiah 2:1–3
When Charles Spurgeon was just twenty-two years of age, his church had already outgrown their building. While a new facility was under construction, they rented a large hall at Surrey Gardens for services. As Spurgeon prepared to preach to a crowd of thousands, someone yelled, “Fire” and the panicked audience rushed for the exits. Seven people were killed and dozens injured in the confusion. Spurgeon fell into a deep depression and even believed he wasn’t fit for the ministry. When he returned to the pulpit two weeks later, he told the people that he had feared he would never be able to speak to them again.
All around us there are hurting people. Sometimes that pain is noticeable, but often it is concealed beneath what seems to us to be bitterness, anger, or a harsh spirit. While we are responsible to respond correctly to the hardships of life, it is not unusual for even the best Christians to struggle with pain and sorrow. It is important for us to look beyond the surface to see what is causing the reactions of others. While some people are unkind and unpleasant, many times it is a result of a deep level of pain that does not know how to find expression any other way.
Today’s Growth Principle:
It is never wrong to be a kind encouragement to those around you—they may need it far more than you know.
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