Psalm 34:17-20 Revised Standard Version
17 When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears,
and delivers them out of all their troubles.
18 The Lord is near to the brokenhearted,
and saves the crushed in spirit.
19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous;
but the Lord delivers him out of them all.
20 He keeps all his bones;
not one of them is broken.
The Word of God for the Children of God.
Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.
On the radio the other day I heard a familiar song about how heartbreak feels.
There are probably hundreds, if not thousands, if not more of songs written throughout history about broken hearts and lost loves. Have you ever wondered why musicians and music producers keep writing about that same thing?
Songs like Psalm 13.
Songs like Psalm 137.
Which are the psalms of lament in the Word of God?
Individual psalms of Lament include: 3, 4, 5, 7, 9-10, 13, 14, 17, 22, 25, 26, 27, 28, 31, 36, 39, 40:12-17, 41, 42-43, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 59, 61, 64, 70, 71, 77, 86, 89, 120, 139, 141, 142. Corporate psalms of Lament include: 12, 44, 58, 60, 74, 79, 80, 83, 85, 89, 90, 94, 123, 126, 129, 137.
Maybe people of whatever time frame -ancient or contemporary, do not tire of those types of songs because everyone can relate to them in some way. Nearly everyone has experienced those hard feelings of emptiness after a breakup, or they have asked themselves “What went so wrong?” after losing their love.
Thankfully God’s Word provides some guidelines to help us hard answer our questions and give us peace of mind when heartache and heartbreak happen.
Psalms of Lament
The psalms of lament are songs and poems in which the psalmist cries out to God in times of deep distress and despair.
In Psalms of lament, the psalmist asks God for intervention to deliver him from suffering, sorrow, great loss, failures, and enemies.
These petitions often give way to the Psalmists expressions of trust in God to act in the psalmist’s favor, leading to hope and joy, faith and peace and love.
There are more psalms of lament than any other type of Psalm.
These Psalms fall into the broad categories of individual or communal (or sometimes both).
Their basic structure includes:
- Address to God
- Description of complaint
- Request for God’s help
- Expression of trust in God
Psalm 13
For the choir director. A Psalm of David.
1 How long, O Lord? Will You forget me forever?
How long will You hide Your face from me?
2 How long shall I take counsel in my soul,
Having sorrow in my heart all the day?
How long will my enemy be exalted over me?
3 Consider and answer me, O Lord my God;
Enlighten my eyes, or I will sleep the sleep of death,
4 And my enemy will say, “I have overcome him,”
And my adversaries will rejoice when I am shaken.
5 But I have trusted in Your lovingkindness;
My heart shall rejoice in Your salvation.
6 I will sing to the Lord,
Because He has dealt bountifully with me.
When we hurt, Scripture can provide comfort.
It also gives us a way to express how we feel, especially when we don’t know what to say or how to say it.
Much of that language can be found in the Psalms, and many psalms were written by people who shared their feelings candidly and honestly.
https://www.christianity.com/wiki/bible/psalms-of-lament-to-remind-us-we-are-not-alone.html
David, the writer of Psalm 34, didn’t have to search long for peace, and neither do we. God is near to those who hurt, and we can trust today that the One who gave the sun its ability to shine, who told the waters how far they could go, and who constantly watches over the universe is also near to you—and he’s saying,
“I’ve got this, and I’ve got you.”
Why You Can Be Sure ‘the Lord Is Close to the Brokenhearted’ (Psalm 34:18)
When emotions are strong, I find comfort when reading Psalms.
The heart of a Psalmist is familiar with suffering and consistent in hope.
This pattern emerges time and time again.
The writer expresses an honest struggle, makes a request, and ends with a choice to trust in God.
Some Psalms focus on lament, which means to grieve the loss of something or someone.
Some focus on praise.
But many combine the two, even when several verses reveal the pain of suffering.
One of my favorites is Psalm 34.
The New Living Translation says, “The LORD is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those whose spirits are crushed.”
Eugene Peterson interprets this verse the Message as, “If your heart is broken, you’ll find God right there; if you’re kicked in the gut, he’ll help you catch your breath.”
What Does Psalm 34:18 Mean for the Brokenhearted?
A brokenhearted person can literally feel the pain of brokenness.
We have physiological responses to loss, grief, and hurtful situations.
Emotional pain can be felt in a very real way, in the body, the mind, and the heart.
Our bodies are actually wired in such a way that emotional pain affects us physically. This is one reason it’s so vital to get honest with our emotions and pursue healing because it impacts all of who we are and how we live.
Brokenheartedness can feel so intense because we do not have what we once did, or what we thought we should have. We have lost something or someone. Also, we may feel all alone. Our body reacts to grief, anger, sadness, and fear.
When we are in this place, our need for something beyond ourselves becomes more evident.
Our enemy would love to keep us from knowing God’s love deeply and receiving the courage we need to move forward when life is hard.
God loves to help us know Him and know His presence with us, especially when life is hard.
Psalm 34:18 reminds us God is not only present with us, but near.
Near to the pain we feel.
Near to the loss we can’t fill.
Near to the needs we have and can’t yet express.
For the brokenhearted, God gives nearness.
God is not removed from knowing about the pain, or from our experience of pain. He is always available and close to those who suffer.
Not only is He near, but he stays with us and will help us get through.
He is not surprised or deterred, no matter how deep the brokenness feels.
God gives us the courage we need to breathe again.
Emotional pain sometimes leaves us speechless.
This Psalm provides words to remind our hearts and talk to God when we cannot find the words ourselves.
God’s presence with us in our messy moments is of great comfort.
What Does Psalm 34:18 Mean for the Crushed in Spirit?
I love the way Eugene Peterson describes how God saves, or rescues, us when our spirits are crushed.
When we feel kicked in the gut, He helps us catch our breath.
When everything has been knocked out of us, and we are depleted, He has what we need to take that first step of getting up again.
God sees and knows the impact of a soul that’s weary and worn.
Consider the following verses:
Proverbs 18:14 “The human spirit can endure in sickness, but a crushed spirit who can bear?”
Proverbs 17:22 “A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.”
Proverbs 15:13 “A happy heart makes the face cheerful, but heartache crushes the spirit.”
These verses help me feel seen by God because He gets what it feels like to be crushed in spirit.
He’s been there, all alone at the Garden of Gethsemane preparing to suffer and die for us.
He knows it is painful.
It can feel like you’re emptied out, dried up because there’s nothing left to give.
It’s time to receive.
God rescues, or liberates, us from great pain and a weakened spirit, through His great love for each of us.
He sees the distraught places in our hearts and offers to fill them up again.
When we breakthrough to God, receive His love and the gift of His presence, our hearts are calmed, our hearts are sated, which frees us to finally move forward.
What Else Can We Glean from Psalm 34?
Encouragement and praise permeate Psalm 34, especially for the worn-down individual.
Verse 2, “I will glory in the Lord; let the afflicted hear and rejoice.”
Verses 6-7, “This poor man called, and the Lord heard him; he saved him out of all his troubles. The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them.”
Verse 15, “The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are attentive to their cry;”
Verse 17, “The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles.”
David also invites us to “taste and see that the Lord is good” (verse 8).
Because when we seek refreshment for weariness, we find goodness in God that renews us, restores us, refreshes us. And it’s available as often as we all need it.
God listens. God hears. God acts decisively.
And He is near – as close as the next breath you take.
In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,
Let us Pray,
Psalm 23 Revised Standard Version
The Divine Shepherd
A Psalm of David.
23 The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want;
2 he makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters;[a]
3 he restores my soul.[b]
He leads me in paths of righteousness[c]
for his name’s sake.
4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,[d]
I fear no evil;
for thou art with me;
thy rod and thy staff,
they comfort me.
5 Thou preparest a table before me
in the presence of my enemies;
thou anointest my head with oil,
my cup overflows.
6 Surely[e] goodness and mercy[f] shall follow me
all the days of my life;
and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord
for ever.[g]
Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.
Loving God, Living God, Loving Hope, Living Hope, Loving Living Life His Way! "Many things are possible for the person who has hope. Even more is possible for the person who has faith. And still more is possible for the person who knows how to love. But everything is possible for the person who practices all three virtues." - Brother Lawrence (1605-1691), Practicing the Presence of God (1692). 