Welcome to Day 13 for a short powerful devotion from our 30 Psalms For Anxiety, Fear, Worry, And Depression bible plan. This short devotional is from Psalm 34:11. Make sure to join me in prayer at the bottom of this post.
Read Psalm 34:18. Click on the verse to read it in various translations.
The definition of the word, 'brokenhearted' is to be overcome with grief and despair.
Are you depressed, heartsick or sad?
Do you feel 'crushed in spirit'?
We may feel brokenhearted and crushed in spirit at times but the truth is the Lord is near us. You may not feel His presence but hold on tight to this truth - the Lord is close to the broken hearted.
God is near to the brokenhearted
I am sure that I am not the only person that at times suffers from the overwhelming emotions of sadness and despair. That is the time when I seek comfort from the Psalms.
David wrote many of the Psalms and we can read many stories of his life throughout the Old Testament of the Bible that show us that David suffered from fear, depression, and times of worry. But we also know that God made David victorious through his many battles and I'm not just talking about the battles he fought on the battlefield!
David was just like us. He suffered many losses and he knew what it was like to feel far from God (we mentioned this in yesterday's devotional). But David's experience was that when he actively sought God's forgiveness and direction that God turned His mourning into dancing.
David wrote Psalm 34 after he had escaped from the hands of the enemy again. David had been pursued by the very jealous King Saul. It was so bad that he sought refuge from the Philistines (they were the enemy to Israel and if they realized who David was he would not survive). So in desperation and fear of being killed by the Philistines, David pretended to be a crazy man by dribbling down his beard! His plan worked and he escaped!
Can you feel the Lord's presence in the midst of your pain and grief?
Eugene Peterson translates Psalm 34:18 in the Message translation of the Bible like this:
God sees you! He will help you catch your breath! God knows how you feel and when you can't feel His presence, hold on to the truth that God loves the broken hearted and soon your feelings will catch up to the truth in God's word.
Related: El Roi, the God who sees me.
To know God's comfort during our personal storms, we must seek Him and be expectant of receiving it. The psalms are a great source of comfort to pray when you find it nearly impossible to express what is troubling your heart. Psalm 23 is the ultimate comfort Psalm and I have written this post on how to pray it.
God is near to the brokenhearted. God doesn't want you to hide your feelings of grief and sadness. It is best for you to express your grief and angry emotions before God so that He can bind up those wounds. Grieving is part of the cleansing of our heart's wounds. Jesus said in Matthew 5:4, "God blesses those who mourn,
So grieve before the Lord and expect to receive the promise of His comfort. He is near to the brokenhearted.
Free printable prayer journal
Use our free printable prayer journal that was specifically designed for our 30 Psalms challenge on anxiety or a notebook to answer the following questions. You can download it here.
What is God saying to you through Psalm 34:18?
Have you laid down your burden of grief and sadness before the Lord?
Bible affirmation: Remind yourself often of these biblical truths.
God sees me and is close to my broken heart.
God promises me His comfort.
God is the lifter of my head. He rescues my crushed spirit.
Scripture prayer:
Join me in praying Psalm 34:18.
Thank you, Father, for being close to me. Help me to express my grief and to accept Your comfort. Help me to seek Your presence and to comprehend the truth that You desire to be with me in the middle of my sadness and depression. Thank you that I am not alone. I choose to trust You to walk with me through this dark time and to believe that You will make my path straight. Amen.
Other encouraging bible verses:
Related Resources:
You will find the 30 Psalms For Anxiety, Fear, Worry, And Depression bible plan HERE It will have the list of 30 Bible verses that we are using for 30 days for our bible challenge.
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Karen xx.