“Do you know what hurts so very much? It’s love. Love is the strongest force in the world, and when it is blocked that means pain. There are two things we can do when this happens. We can kill that love so that it stops hurting. But then of course part of us dies, too. Or we can ask God to open up another route for that love to travel.” —Corrie ten Boom, The Hiding Place
Corrie ten Boom endured brutal treatment in a WWII concentration camp. Although her father and a sister died while imprisoned by the Nazis, Corrie’s love lived on, sustained by the God whose love “never ends” (Lamentations 3:22).
As the prophet Jeremiah surveyed the brutal treatment inflicted on his people by Babylon, he felt the sting of his love being blocked (Lamentations 3:9): blocked from friends and family torn from his presence and placed in captivity (Lamentations 1:3); blocked from worshiping God in His temple, destroyed by the Babylonians (Lamentations 2:1,6); blocked from being able to assuage the pain of the starving, crushed remnant of Jerusalem (Lamentations 2:11-12, 3:47-48).
Perhaps you’re facing the sting of blocked love. The loss of a relationship or a loved one or something you’ve poured your heart into can be devastating. Much like weeping Jeremiah, your pain may feel like it’s more than you can bear. Take heart, just ahead—a little further down the road—a new “route for [your] love to travel” may open up.
In the midst of the carnage and calamity, Jeremiah was able to claim: “The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease” (Lamentations 3:22). The prophet could “hope” in God and call out to Him because of His faithful, merciful character and ways (Lamentations 3:23-24,31,55-57).
Even blocked love can’t deter God’s everlasting love.
NLT 365-day reading plan passage for today: 1 Peter 2:1-25
More:
Read Romans 8:38-39 and ponder what it means to know and experience the love of God.
Next:
How is a “blocked love” affecting you today? How can this difficult time lead you deeper into the love of God? What gives you hope for “another route for [your] love to travel”?
BearPair on December 22, 2016 at 4:42 am
Great words of assurance & encouragement, Tom–THANKS! Sometimes the blockage can con from very unexpected sources, often sources that can only be “fixed” or “broken open” by God Himself. To remember that God’s love is truly unfailing is an awesome comfort! And, Merry Christmas to you & your family! Terry & Patricia
Tom Felten on December 22, 2016 at 8:54 am
Terry & Pat, a very merry Christmas to you! And, yes, there are times we have to take our broken relationships and place them at the foot of the cross.—praying for God to bring about the reconciliation and health we’ve strived to cultivate. May His new creational, healing ways be found in our relationships today!
Gary Shultz on December 22, 2016 at 6:11 am
Hi Tom; To speak as you have, those words have come from a heart that has experienced being “blocked”. They come from times of experience of the the working of the process. That’s, I think, how personal words become powerful, holding on when being held back, “blocked”. The only way we know to hold on is because God has proven the path of His choosing to be a step in faith and hope. With time trust deepens and we see the God of hope, at just the right time. We begin to anticipate the open way to His love. High mileage is of great value in the life of a believer who has allowed God to direct his path. The great character of a saint is the deep trust in the Spirit that spoke them to the place where love is apparent from an angle, and any dimension, they are viewed. So not only have we secured the gift of Christ’s birth and life, but He pulls us deeper toward Him. That love can not be blocked and at this Christmas time, wonder with me how this mighty God continues to pour out His love to us and a world that wants to be “blocked’ from it. The gift has never stopped, and never will, as we will see it in person some day, “unblocked” Thanks Tom, enjoy Christ’s birthday.
Tom Felten on December 22, 2016 at 8:56 am
Gary, so true! The love of God cannot be blocked. Christ came and poured out His life out of love. What joy it is to receive that love and now lavish it on others!
gagirllive on December 22, 2016 at 8:31 am
This is beautiful, Tom. The hurt and frustration that Jeremiah expresses in this passage is very palpable, and I can certainly identify with how he feels. There’s just so much brokenness everywhere. It wouldn’t be too difficult at all to let our love grow cold and become blocked. But the Lord has something better for us. If we abide in Him, the channel will flow freely. We have to wait quietly before the Lord and allow Him to pour His own love in our hearts so that we have something worth giving to others. Even when the way seems blocked for reasons beyond our own choosing, God’s love in us will find a way to express itself. That is the very nature of love. It never gives up. It finds a way to flow. Sometimes we might have to give ourselves a little self-talk like Jeremiah and say, “The LORD is my inheritance; therefore I will hope in Him!” (v. 24) Because He is our portion, He knows how to make a way through the wilderness, and what we might see as a roadblock to love could be an opportunity for a detour that leads to greater blessing for us, and more importantly, glory for Him. Thanks for this gem today, Tom. Christmas blessings to you and your family!
Tom Felten on December 22, 2016 at 9:00 am
“Wait quietly before the Lord.” Ah, that’s the challenge—isn’t it, GG? But when we’re waiting, God continues to work within us—growing our love for Him, cleaning up our character, purifying our faith. So grateful for you and our whole ODJ community. May God bless you and your family this Christmas!