Abandonné ?

Au jour de ma détresse j’ai cherché le Seigneur ; … mon âme refusait d’être consolée. Psaume 77. 2

L’Éternel est bon… pour l’âme qui le cherche. Lamentations de Jérémie 3. 25

Antoine est là, debout devant l’aumônier de la prison, une lettre à la main.

- Sylvain, j’ai voulu te voir une dernière fois.

- Qu’est-ce qui t’arrive ? Tu n’es pas malade ?

- Voilà huit ans que je vois le ciel à travers les barreaux. Jusque-là, je tenais le coup. Elle pensait à moi, m’écrivait, m’attendait. Voici sa dernière lettre. Ma femme m’a abandonné. Ma vie n’a plus de sens.

Sylvain connaît cet homme. Non, lui ne joue pas la comédie du suicide pour obtenir une amélioration de son sort.

- Antoine, ta situation me touche profondément. Tu te crois abandonné de tous ? Non, Dieu ne peut pas t’abandonner, tu es une de ses créatures. Il t’aime comme tu es, il te cherche. Il veut te rencontrer. Je crois que l’heure est venue pour que tu te tournes vers lui. Je vais prier pour toi, mais écoute-moi : lis cet évangile.

Deux jours plus tard, un dimanche matin, Antoine est là, dans la chapelle où Sylvain présente l’évangile. Son visage rayonne. Dieu est venu rencontrer Antoine, le désespéré, dans la solitude de sa cellule. Il lui a donné plus que la liberté qu’il espérait : la paix divine dans son âme.

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Dig It Up

Get rid of all bitterness. Ephesians 4:31

When Rebecca’s brother and sister-in-law started having marriage problems, Rebecca prayed earnestly for their reconciliation. But they divorced. Then her sister-in-law took the children out of state and their dad didn’t protest. Rebecca never again saw the nieces she dearly loved. Years later she said, “Because of trying to handle this sadness on my own, I let a root of bitterness start in my heart, and it began to spread to my family and friends.”

The book of Ruth tells about a woman named Naomi who struggled with a heart of grief that grew into bitterness. Her husband died in a foreign land, and ten years later both her sons died. She was left destitute with her daughters-in-law, Ruth and Orpah (1:3–5). When Naomi and Ruth returned to Naomi’s home country, the whole town was excited to see them. But Naomi told her friends: “The Almighty has made my life very bitter. . . . The Lord has afflicted me” (vv. 20–21). She even asked them to call her “Mara,” meaning bitter. 

Who hasn’t faced disappointment and been tempted toward bitterness? Someone says something hurtful, an expectation isn’t met, or demands from others make us resentful. When we acknowledge to ourselves and God what’s happening deep in our hearts, our tender Gardener can help us dig up any roots of bitterness—whether they’re still small or have been growing for years—and can replace them with a sweet, joyful spirit.

By:  Anne Cetas

Reflect & Pray
What areas of life do you tend to become bitter about? What’s growing inside your heart that needs God’s loving care?

God, help me to see the goodness in life You’re always displaying. And dig up any root of bitterness in my heart that dishonors You.