The Jeff Cavins Show (Your Catholic Bible Study Podcast) - When Your Heart is Crushed

Episode Date: June 23, 2023

Have you ever had your heart crushed? Perhaps, you are currently experiencing heartbreak or know someone who is. Today, Jeff shares a story of walking with someone who was experiencing heartbreak. He offers encouragement to everyone to persevere and trust that God has a plan for your life. Snippet from the Show God will never leave you, deceive you, or stop loving you. Email us with comments or questions at [e-mail]. Text “jeffcavins” to 33-777 to subscribe and get Jeff’s shownotes delivered straight to your email! Or visit ascensionpress.com/thejeffcavinsshow for full shownotes!

Welcome to the Jeff Kaven's show, where we talk about the Bible, discipleship, and evangelization, putting it all together in living as activated disciples. This is show 329, when your heart is crushed. Welcome to the show this week. Glad you could join me. I'm Jeff Kavans. Have you ever had you, heart crushed. Now, I'm talking this week about having your heart crushed, and that could happen with the loss of a loved one, but I want to speak to you specifically this week about having your heart crushed in a relationship. And I know that we have so many young adults that are listening to the show week after week, and the odds are that one time or another, you have had your heart crushed. I know back in high school, I did. And you, uh, you, uh, you've had. You have had your heart crushed. I know back in high

school I did and you did you know probably as well and so I want to talk about that and I want to I want to offer some encouragement to you today if if you're in that situation or somebody has passed this episode onto you because they knew that you were you were downcast you were you were hurt you were crushed you felt like your life had come to an end because the person that you loved is not there anymore either they walked away or you broke up or they passed away. That is such a hard thing to deal with. Love is so powerful.

You know, this ability to love that God gave us is amazing. And while it can end up in great fulfillment and joy to love someone and to be loved, on the other side of that coin, it can absolutely crush you when you are either betrayed or you broke up due to, you know, circumstances. or who knows. You know all the reasons that people break up. But the result is often the same, and that is a crushed heart. By the way, I do have some scripture for this show, and if you are interested in getting the show notes week after week, all you've got to do is text my name, Jeff Kavins, one word, Jeff Kavins, and text it to the number 33777. That's 3377. We'll get to the show notes,

and you'll be on the list, and you can get show notes in the future. because a lot of people are driving or running and they don't have the time to write down these key texts that I'm going to give you that relate to a crushed heart. Now, to start off with, I want to tell you a story, and this is a true story, and it just came to a culmination in the last week or so. Father Mike Schmitz and I were leading a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. We just got back just a few days ago, and something happened to me over there that is related to you having a crushed heart, and I want to share it with you. Now, the story goes way back to

1992 when I was a pastor. I was a pastor in Dayton, Ohio, and it was a, you know, a small growing church, and we had just wonderful people. And one of our elders had a, had a daughter by the name of Melissa. And Melissa was just a delightful college student, really just a beautiful person. And she was getting close to, I think, being engaged to somebody that her heart was set on and she was excited about it. But then everything turned and it broke up. But it would need to go into all the details, why and so forth, but it broke up leaving her with an absolutely crushed heart. And that is something that is hard to watch, to see the human heart crushed under the pressure of broken love. And she came back to Dayton and I got together with her because she was the daughter of

very good friends of ours. I was talking to her about the situation and I said, Melissa, let's go for a bike ride. And so we went for a bike ride. We stopped overlooking some of like a river in water, body of water in Dayton, Ohio. And we got off the bikes and we started to talk about her situation and her crushed heart. And I remember saying to her, Melissa, Lisa, God loves you so much. And I'm telling you that there is out there a man who will make your heart sing. There is a man out there who will love you and hold you and care for you. And you'll be number one in his life. And there is that guy out there. I believe that. I really do. And I believe for you, my friend, who are listening to the show today, that's the same with you. And you're

going to see in a moment here why I'm saying that. So anyway, I told Melissa that there is someone out there for you. Stick to the Lord and walk with Jesus. Do his will. He will do the matchmaking here. He really will. And then I said to her something that, I'm not sure exactly why I said it, but I said it, I said, Melissa, listen, there will be a day where we will be back here at this place. And I will say to you, I told you so. I told you so. And she was, you know, cried and this, you know, felt, you know, still horrible about the situation. But I told her there's hope and we're going to be back here and I'm going to tell you.

I told you so. So then time goes by. I think it was about a year or so. And we got word that she had met someone in Denver and very excited and came back. And I believe she was engaged at this point. She came back to Dayton, Ohio. Everyone was excited for her, and I said to Melissa, let's go on a bike ride. And she forgot about that first bike ride, I think.

And she said, okay, so we went on this bike ride, and it wasn't that far. And I stopped at the exact place where I had told her about a year, year and a half earlier that I'm going to bring you here and say, I told you so. God is faithful. So anyway, we rode the bikes there. We got off the bikes, and she's like, why are you getting off the bike? I said, come here. And I looked at her right at that same place, and I said, Melissa, I told you so. And she was delighted, I think, in tears, and God had come through. And she found that man. His name was Mike. And she found the man of her dreams. She's engaged and she's going to get married and ask me if I would marry them.

And I said, absolutely. Now, this is before I came back to the church, of course. so we went out to Denver and they got married they got married this was like in 19 i think 93 or something like that and so then after that we kind of lost track you know they were off in their married new married life and had children and so forth well on this trip to israel that father mike and i just got back from we had three concerts on this pilgrimage with ali alia taylor tripodi and father john Klein. They did amazing job with singing. Well, anyway, the third, the first concert was on the Sea of Galilee. The second one was in the desert. And the third one was in downtown Jerusalem at a non-denominational church that used to be a theater. And then they bought it and made it into this

non-denominational church. And so we rented it for that night. And we had a concert there, a Catholic concert. And all the young adults who were with us, joined us. Well, I was listening. to Taylor sing sitting down in the theater and this guy comes up behind me and he kind of whispers in my ear and I flinched a little bit like whoa who's talking to me there and he said the associate pastors of this church wanted me to pass on to you that you married them I said what and then they handed me a business card and it had on there Mike and Melissa and then their last name and I looked at that and thought no way no way this was Melissa and Mike they were the associate pastors of this church in Jerusalem that couple that I married that young beautiful girl

that I said God will come through he did and they were the they were the associate pastors of this church in Jerusalem I was I was speechless and I got up after the concert and I I told the young people, with Father Mike there, I told the young people what had just happened. And then I looked at them and I said, listen, if you're in that situation where your heart is broken and you're wondering if you're ever going to be married, you're wondering if you're ever going to find that guy, you're going to find that girl. Sure, there's a lot of people available, but you don't want to just take anybody. You want, you want a godly man or a godly woman as a spouse. And I told them, trust me, if you're not called to religious life or the single life, you're called to marriage, God can provide.

God can provide for you. And I want to share that with you, my friend, today. If you're listening to this show right now with a broken heart, God can come through for you. This is a word of encouragement for you. Do not lose hope. Do not be dismayed. God loves you as a shepherd, as a father. and he will take care of you.

He'll give you the desires of your heart. Well, after the show, I found out their number, and I texted Melissa and Mike, and I said, can we get together tomorrow? Oh, back up for a moment. I found out that night that Melissa had been struggling with cancer. And so I said to our people at the theater on the pilgrimage, let's stand up, let's pray for them and intercede for them right now.

Now, the guy back on the soundboard, he knew them and he patched them in and they watched us pray for them she watched her old pastor praying for her in jerusalem and then after that i texted them and i said can you guys get together tomorrow and they said yes and we the next day had lunch it was an amazing with their son who's 19 we had an amazing reunion now i'm sharing that with you because if you are like the young people who travel to Israel with us, you may have had a broken heart. In fact, a young lady came up to me right after, right after the concert and she gave me her name and said, I too am living with a crushed heart. I broke up with my boyfriend right before coming on the pilgrimage. And Emily and I

lifted her up in prayer. We prayed for her right there. And it made such a difference. And I want you to know that if you have a crushed heart because of a relationship, God sees you. God sees you. And the Blessed Mother sees you. Your favorite saints, they know about it. You're not alone, my friend. You're not alone. Now, I'm going to take a break when I come back. I want to give you some scriptures related to this to encourage you that God sees your situation and God is faithful. He'll not only be with you, but he will provide for you. And you might be thinking right now, oh my gosh, I had no idea that when I heard this show today, it would hit my heart so that this is where I'm at in my life. And Jeff, here you are talking about it will happen to me too.

God will provide. Jehovah Jira, God will provide. You're listening to The Jeff Kaven Show. Be back in just a moment. Have you discovered the graces of praying novenas? I'm Annie Deddens. And I'm John Paul Dedens. We're the creators of praymorenovenas.com,

a ministry that helps Catholics pray this nine-day prayer, and the authors of Ascension's pocket guide to Novenus. We've found that the tradition of praying novenas bears great fruit today, just as it has for centuries. Mother Teresa, Padre Pio, and other great saints prayed Novenus. This form of prayer has helped many faithful Catholics to grow close. to Christ. The pocket guide to Novenas is your guide through 20 different Novenas, 14 of which we wrote especially for this book, from a Novena to St. John Paul II, to praying the Novena for

healing, or even praying for the Blessed Mother to undo knots in your life. This little book can be your go-to guide for Novenas in your home or in your travels. You can order your copy today at ascensionpress.com slash Novenas. we're talking today about when your heart is crushed and i just shared that story of melissa and mike and it it really increased my faith i'd have to say it emily and i were sort of in awe that whole night thinking god you are so amazing and that's the only word i could come up with i said god you're so amazing you are so amazing the way you stitch together relationships

and you paint, you know, a beautiful picture out of what looks like a disaster. God, you're so good. You're so good. You know what? I'm going to give you some scriptures, but I just feel led right now to pray for you. Lord, I lift up my friend right now

who has experienced that crushed heart because of a relationship, a man who left, a woman who left. Lord, I lift them up to you now and I ask you just to wrap your arms, around them hold them tight wipe the tear from their eye oh lord wipe the tear from their eye as you said in revelation 21 for for you will wipe every tear from our eyes ask you lord to hold them and i ask you to comfort them in the broken state that they are in in jesus name amen now i want to i want to give you

some scripture here that will fortify you and build you up and give you a foundation on which to go forward after the crushed heart that you're experiencing. Psalm 3418 is one of the classics, and it says, The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit. Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all. A paraphrase of that would be that the Lord is near those who have had a crushed heart.

and he saves those whose spirit is crushed and broken and cast down. That's a paraphrase of that. So there's another scripture here that is actually taken from a book that is all about lamenting, all about lamentations, having a crushed heart. Now, that is the book of lamentations, and what they were lamenting was the loss of Jerusalem, the loss of the temple, the loss of their homeland. But I think you could apply it to the loss of the love of your life. It says in Lamentation 322, the steadfast love of the Lord never ceases.

His mercies never come to an end. Now that is a beautiful thought that in the midst of a crushed heart, the steadfast love of the Lord never ceases. the steadfast love of the Lord. God is not going to disappoint you. God will not break up with you. God will not crush your heart. God will not deceive you or lie to you. He will not.

He will keep his word. And scripture over and over calls God our husband, is she? In Hebrew, he is your husband. And so if you have a broken heart due to a religious, relationship, please know this, you are not utterly broken because Jesus is your husband. Jesus is your spouse. Whether you are a male or a female, he is our spouse, and we are the bride, and he's the bridegroom. And he will not disappoint you. John 1427 says, peace I leave with you, my peace I give you. I do not give it to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be

troubled and do not be afraid you have a crushed heart let not your heart be troubled god has something for you hope in him seriously god has someone for you if if if you are to be married and you are you you're convinced in your heart you prayed about this and you know you're called to married life trust in the lord you have trust listen you have trusted god with your eternal destiny. You have given your heart to God and said, Lord, I am yours forever and I trust you for all eternity. I'm all in, like Texas Hold'em. I'm all in with you, Lord. Now listen, if you can trust God with your eternal salvation, you can trust him to find your mate. You can. And, you know, when it comes to the criteria for a mate, you want to be picky.

You know one of the things I do with all of the young ladies that I will talk to about a crushed heart or they're looking for that Mr. Wright? You want Mr. Wright. You just don't want his first name to be always, okay? You don't want always right. You want Mr. Wright. And what I do is I give them a guitar pick. I hand the guitar pick to them. I put it in their hand, and they're a little confused when I do it, and then I close their hand over that guitar pick. And I say to them, listen, you are God's daughter. You are valuable. I want you to be picky. I want you to be picky about who you choose. Do not just say, well, I don't have anybody. I'm just going to take what I can get. No, that is not the attitude of a child of God. I'll take whatever I can get. No, be picky. Choose the one that is for you

that will serve you and serve together the Lord. When Emily and I got married, we got married for the sole purpose, really, of serving God together. Whatever that might be, we were going to do it together. We were picky. And so they take that pick. They put it in their purse and they every day are reminded be picky be picky don't just settle don't do it my friend whether you are a woman or whether you are a man be picky about it and in this show here i'm handing you a virtual pick right now take that pick put it in your purse put it in your wallet and be picky about who you choose. Now, moving on here,

oh, what I wanted to share with you, before we move on to the next text, what I wanted to share with you is that you need to be picky, but you want to look for someone who loves God, someone who has yielded their will to God. They are compliant with the will of God and the voice of God, someone that you can pray with,

someone that you can share your prayer life with and come to the Lord together, someone who you know will be a great father, great mother, to your future children. And while I say be picky, being picky is not just the physical appearance of someone. Being picky is their heart. Because look, you're going to spend the next 40, 50 years, 60 years maybe with 70 maybe, with with that particular person, this is a lot different than choosing a mutual fund or a home to live in. This is a covenant partner. And if your heart was crushed with someone just recently, that's understandable. But look, there might be someone right around the corner or in six months

from now. But be faithful to the Lord. Remain picky. And God will bring that person into your life. I've seen this over and over and over. And as you are out there doing the will of God, this may happen just boom like that. And you meet someone and you're thinking yourself, wow. But in the meantime, do what Peter said to do in 1. Peter 5.7, casting all your anxieties on him because he cares for you. He really does. He cares for you. And God loves people with a broken heart. And clearly, in scripture, that is clear. In Isaiah 410, he says that you'll never forsake those who are suffering. Listen to this. Do not fear, for I am with you. Do not be dismayed for I am your God. And Psalm 147.3, he gives comfort by saying he helps the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. And there's another one here in James 513. When you're dealing with real hurtful situations like a breakup or a grief due to losing a loved one, We are encouraged to do what, to pray and to seek the Lord. And James 513 says, is anyone among you suffering, let him pray.

Are you suffering? Pray. Lord, I give my life to you. Lord, I trust you. Lord, you are my husband. You will never disappoint me. Lord, I trust you to find someone for me in my life. Someone who will make my heart sing. someone who will be like you.

That's what we're really looking for, right? That's what we're looking for. Isaiah said, The spirit of the Lord of God is upon me because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted. That's you.

To proclaim liberty to the captives, the opening of the prison to those who are bound. God will bind up the brokenhearted. So that's the reason for today's show. I just felt with all my heart that I was to join you today and to remind you, if you have a broken heart, that God will bind up, he will heal the wounds, and he will provide for you greater than anything you could have ever asked for or thought of. In fact, I remember saying that to Melissa when she was broken, is that God can give you

someone greater than you could ever think or ever hope for, God can do that. And I have seen it over and over and over. So today, on the day where you're listening to this, I want you just to raise your hands up to the Lord. Raise your hands above your head up to the Lord and pray with me. In the name of the Father's Son and the Holy Spirit, Lord, I lift up my friend right now to you who has their hands extended to you. Lord, you see their heart. You hear their cry. You see the broken pieces. Lord, I thank you for mending them. I thank you for healing them. I thank you for making them

whole. And I pray, Lord, that their hope will be in you and your ability to bring the pieces together, to make a beautiful picture in their life. I pray, Lord, for their future spouse right now. If they are to get married, I pray for their future spouse right now. You would keep him or her pure. You would guide them and lead them in all your word. I pray, Lord, that they would be sensitive to your voice.

And I thank you ahead of time for the creative way that you're going to bring them together. My friend who's listening and those who are out there in the world right now, I thank you for the creative way you're going to bring them together to delight one another's heart and to enjoy a life of marriage, which is the picture of your love for the church. Lord Jesus, just hold them right now. And may they hear the words, you are mine. I know your situation.

I have something for you. Trust me. trust me trust me in jesus name i pray amen i hope this was an encouragement to you today i hope you feel that encouragement in your heart that the lord loved you enough to stop all everything just to tell you today i see you i love you i have something for you trust me look forward to talking to you next week i love you and i'm want to hear what God is doing in your life. And you can email me at the jeffcaven show at ascensionpress.com. The Jeffcaven show at ascensionpress.com. Love to hear how God is working in your life. God bless.