Deciding to do my Beth Moore "Breaking Free" bible study this morning during my quiet time was bittersweet. The bitter part was realizing that I wasn't with my team in Australia anymore (the girls started this bible study in Australia and we met once a week to talk about it). The sweet part was what I learned this morning.
"If your law had not been my delight, I would have perished in my affliction." -Psalm 119:92
I had never read this verse before, so it immediately caught my attention. I rephrased it in my own words in the margins to say this: "If Your Word hadn't brought me joy, I would be completely hopeless." Today's lesson was based around betrayal. Going into it, I thought I wasn't going to get much out of it. I'm not bashing Beth Moore in any sense, in fact, I have learned so much about my heart and motives from this study in the past 6 weeks and the feeling of being free from that bondage. My comment is simply stating that some days impact me more than others. This week in particular, she's discussing child abuse. Fortunately, this is not something of my past, praise God. But because of that, it's been difficult for me to relate to the studies. Today however was quite different. Broken hearts because of betrayal was the topic this morning.
David was betrayed by a close friend in Psalm 55. Reading about his hurt and the pain he felt because of this began stirring some thoughts and memories inside my head. Beth Moore put it perfectly when she said: "Only a person who has had intimate access to your heart can betray you to the point David described." So true. For the sake of my own heart and the situation that this struck in me specifically, details will end here. The point I want to share with you and hope to encourage you about is this: We can go to the throne of grace when we've been betrayed. Why? Because Jesus has been through the same thing, and He conquered it.
"Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are -- yet without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need." -Hebrews 4:14-16
Why is Christ our best option? He sympathizes with us, He knows we're weak, He has been tempted just like we have, and more importantly, He has gone through it without sin.
"Heart-shattering betrayal is one of the hardest experiences we ever encounter. To best know how to bind up the heart broken by betrayal, He chose to experience it. Christ ministers to the betrayed through His example." -Beth Moore
We cannot live with the wounds of betrayal. It will tear us apart and greatly hinder any plans the Lord has for us. We must let Him fix us. Why would we avoid taking it to the cross? Jesus endured betrayal by Judas, why do we think He doesn't understand? Christ, of all people, knows what the heartache of betrayal entails...and He also knows exactly how to heal it. We just have to let Him.
Yes, Judas was being tempted and ruled by Satan in his selfishness, but God used that to show us just one more incredible thing about our Savior. God uses betrayal for our good.
"Betrayal can either hurt or hurt. Or hurt and help. The choice is up to us." -Beth Moore
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