Hurt & Broken

If you have a pulse then you are either coming out of a difficult season, in the middle of a difficult season, or it is just around the next corner. Christianity teaches that when sin entered the world that hurt and brokenness became a part of everyday life. There is not anything we can put here in these pages that will serve as the magic pill to deliver you from the hard seasons of hurt and brokenness while we live and breath on this terrestrial sphere.  What we can offer are words of comfort and peace that may serve to turn your eyes and heart in a different direction, namely upon the one who is familiar with pain and suffering and the pains and difficult seasons you endure. So if it is illness or tragedy, a load of laundry or a winless season, take heart the Jesus of the Bible has been known to weep with those that weep and always lives to be your biggest fan.

Consider the following lyrics to one of our favorite hymn:
Wrapt in the gloom of dark despair, We helpless, hopeless lay:
But sovereign mercy reached us there, And smiled despair away.

These words were penned by Anne Steele back in the 18th century.  You can read her story below.

Anne Steele lived in England from 1716-1778. She was born in Broughton, where her father, who was a timber merchant, preached at the Baptist church for 60 years – most of the time without receiving a salary! She actually lived only 15 miles from the great Isaac Watts, although it is unlikely that they ever met. Her mother died when she was 3 years old, and when she was 19 she suffered a severe injury to her hip, rendering her an invalid for most of her life. When she was 21, she was engaged to Robert Elscourt, but the day before the wedding he was drowned while bathing in a river! She never was married, and assisted her father in his pastoral labors for her whole life, although for the last 9 years of her life, she was never able to leave her bed. Still in spite of all of this her disposition was described as “cheerful and helpful” and her life as one of “unaffected humility, warm benevolence, sincere friendship, and genuine devotion.”

Dear Refuge of My Weary Soul
©1998 Kevin Twit Music. Words: Anne Steele. Music: Kevin Twit.

Dear refuge of my weary soul, On Thee, when sorrows rise

On Thee, when waves of trouble roll, My fainting hope relies

To Thee I tell each rising grief, For Thou alone canst heal

Thy Word can bring a sweet relief, For every pain I feel

But oh! When gloomy doubts prevail, I fear to call Thee mine

The springs of comfort seem to fail, And all my hopes decline

Yet gracious God, where shall I flee? Thou art my only trust

And still my soul would cleave to Thee Though prostrate in the dust

Hast Thou not bid me seek Thy face, And shall I seek in vain?

And can the ear of sovereign grace, Be deaf when I complain?

No still the ear of sovereign grace, Attends the mourner’s prayer

Oh may I ever find access, To breathe my sorrows there

Thy mercy seat is open still, Here let my soul retreat

With humble hope attend Thy will, And wait beneath Thy feet,

Thy mercy seat is open still, Here let my soul retreat

With humble hope attend Thy will, And wait beneath Thy feet

This song is only a portion of the full song. The original had 39 verses! You can read more of Anne Steele’s life and story as well as her songs here.