A Troubled Heart is the Gateway to Hope

A TROUBLED HEART IS THE GATEWAY TO HOPE:

This is a statement that I wrote in preparation for a funeral message several months ago. I know, it sounds backwards, but often times it is difficult for us to know what we need unless we have an awareness of what we are missing.

A troubled heart declares that we are hungry…and we need something to satiate this hunger inside of us. We can attempt to fill that hunger with all kinds of different things, but we won’t truly be satisfied until we feast on hope - not the flashy commercialized version of hope, I’m talking about the deep rooted, deep seeded hope that only Jesus can offer.

The summer might seem like an odd season to talk about a troubled heart, but the reality is that the condition of your heart speaks to your ability to negotiate your circumstances – and like Psalm 63 (and Pastor Jamie) reminds us, our worship shouldn’t be the response to our circumstances, it should be the foundation for breakthrough – breakthrough that is both internal and external. So, friends, don’t let your hearts be troubled, fix your eyes on the author and perfecter of our faith just as Hebrews 12:1-2 remind us - “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honour beside God’s throne.”

Be blessed! - Jason