Failing Heart

Anita Casteel

From: Anita Casteel <acasteel@outlook.com> Sent: Sunday, July 24, 2022, 9:47 AM To: Anita Casteel <acasteel@outlook.com> Subject: Heart So he said to his brothers, “My money has been restored, and there it is, in my sack!” Then their hearts failed them and they were afraid, saying to one another, “What is this that God has done to us?”Genesis 42:28 NKJVhttps://bible.com/bible/114/gen.42.28.NKJVThe entire story of Joseph is captivating. Joseph is the favored son:  his father gave him a coat of many colors in deference. This made his brothers very jealous. Such sibling rivalry that they decided to kill him. Their hearts were full of anger. The oldest brother felt horrible about the plan and decided, instead, to sell him to a group of passersby.  God had his hand on Joseph:  he prospered in many times of adversity. God showed him in a dream that the land of Egypt, where he was a slave, would have years of famine. The King made Joseph second in command. Through God's providence, Joseph's brothers arrived to beg him for food. This whole story leads to the above verse. Joseph has his servants hide his brother's payment for the grain, in their own sacks and then capture them for thievery. Joseph wants to see if the envious hearts of his brothers have been reformed. Here we see their hearts "failing" as they are "caught" stealing from Joseph.  Have you ever felt "my heart is failing"? Not because you are sick, but because you were scared, grief-stricken, lonely, sad? In our family, my sister in law lost both her parents within 3 days. Das had a heart attack. Mom and her sisters where on their way to the hospital to visit him and Mom died of a heart attack. They did not tell dad that day. They told him the next day, and his heart failed so greatly, he died.My heart has never been that sad, but it has been close. My father and grandson were both on hospice at the same time and died within 3 months of each other. Then 2 months later or dog died, a best friend walked away from me, and then our newly rescued dog was hit by a truck and died on the leash. Then my father in law passed. Our condo burned down, Rick had surgery and our house flooded.The complicated, compounding grief, about broke my heart. Thank God for the peace of Jesus. Father, You care about all of our emotions.  You put them in our heart. Thank you, Father for knowing our pain and weaknesses,  the failings of our hearts, and offer your peace that passes all understanding.  Thank you,  Jesus Anita Caste