The Lord showed me something important this morning: not only are people hurting, but the Holy Spirit is working in the hearts of many people, and some that I know personally. Yesterday Rev. Billy Graham passed, and I noticed something interesting this morning. Almost 5 times as many people as normal came to my blog yesterday to read a post I made a year and a half ago, based on writings by Rev. Graham (see It’s Not My Job to Convict or Judge Someone Else). His quote was “It is the Holy Spirit’s job to convict, God’s job to judge and my job to love.”–Billy Graham.

Then I heard a song this morning that went so well with this morning’s Bible study, “O Come To The Altar” by Elevation Worship. The first few verses are: “Are you hurting and broken within? Overwhelmed by the weight of your sin? Jesus is calling. Have you come to the end of yourself? Do you thirst for a drink from the well? Jesus is calling. O come to the altar, the Father’s arms are open wide. Forgiveness was bought with the precious blood of Jesus Christ.”

Hagar was also hurting as we discussed yesterday and she had come to the end of herself. She cried out to the Lord and He sent His angel to minister to her and her son. He opened her eyes to see the water well and delivered them from death (Gen. 21:15-20). She was literally thirsting for a drink from the well, and He showed up. He was faithful to what He told her before the birth of her child (Gen. 16:9-12). The Lord is always faithful and does what He says He will do. “For He will deliver the needy who cry out the afflicted who have no one to help. He will take pity on the weak and the needy and save the needy from death.” (Ps. 72:12-13)

When we come to end of ourselves, when we realize that on our own we cannot take one more step, when we cry out to Him, He will be there. “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.” (Ps. 147:3) “Leave behind your regrets and mistakes; come today there’s no reason to wait. Jesus is calling. Bring your sorrows and trade them for joy. From the ashes a new life is born. Jesus is calling. O come to the altar, the Father’s arms are open wide. Forgiveness was bought with the precious blood of Jesus Christ.”

No matter what you have done, there’s nothing that the Lord won’t forgive if you humble yourself before Him in faith in His son, Jesus Christ. And He is able and willing to take the mess you have made out of your sinful life–all the broken shards–and make you into a new creation with His mighty hands. “But the pot [the potter] was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands; so the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as seemed best to him. Then the word of the Lord came to me. He said, ‘Can I not do with you, Israel, as this potter does?’ declares the Lord. ‘Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand, Israel.'” (Jer. 18:4-6) These words are just as true today for you and me. At the end of ourselves is the beginning of God.