You have abandoned the love you had at first! Rev.2:4

We all agree on the interpretation of that Bible word.  Our Lord speaks of the letdown of our intimacy with Himself, which He calls "the love you had at first."  When that dawns on us, we bow in contrition and repentance before Him.

But what about the opposite?  What about the young girl that has been callously abandoned by her lover?  She may also say, "You have abandoned the love you had at first to me!"  Or she may not say anything,  her grief being too big for words.  She may instead think in suicidal terms.

I have actually known girls who did commit suicide because of their unfaithful lovers.  One of them was a beautiful girl from my school class.  In such a case the despair is complete.  No hope is seen.

A hymn written out of utter despair was once composed by a young Irishman, Joseph Scriven (born in 1819 in Dublin by wealthy parents).  Its occasion was the accidental drowning of his fiancee the night before their scheduled wedding. (I´d previously been told it was because she´d broken up with him, but that is not true).
His hymn "What a Friend We Have in Jesus" is today known everywhere (look it up on the internet!) but it was not intended for publication, but a friend of his happened to read it on scratch paper once at his sickbed, and then on it went.  In one verse it says,

Do thy friends despite, forsake thee?
Take it to the Lord in prayer,
In His arms He´ll take and shield thee,
Thou wilt find a solace there!

Are you among the sorrowful and disappointed?  Maybe because of the letdown by a lover or by unfaithful friends?  Do as Joseph Scriven, oh, give Christ a chance as your personal Savior and never failing friend!

July 12, 2018 - jn