The Comforter of the Brokenhearted (Psalm 34)
One might guess that David wrote these words from Psalm 34, “I will bless the Lord at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth,” in a season of life when things were going well. We find it easy to celebrate the goodness of God when life is good. Actually, David was writing during an incredibly difficult time in his life – a time of incredible pain, loss, and isolation. He was still able to declare later in this wonderful Psalm, “When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears and delivers them out of all their troubles. The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.” (Psalm 34:17-18 ESV)
The beautiful truth of Psalm 34 is that God is near us even when we do not feel His presence. He is faithful, even when our faith is tested. He is the God of peace even amidst the storms of life. I am encouraged by this truth. David described his situation as one of despair. I would guess that in your personal experience, you know what it means to despair. I think most of us can relate to the type of acute pain David describes as being “crushed in spirit” and “brokenhearted.” I have felt it several times in my life.
About 20 years ago. I received a very unexpected phone call in which I was told that Todd, my best friend from high school, had been killed in a hit-and-run accident on snowy I-70 in Denver, Colorado. Todd and I shared amazing times together, we loved doing ministry together, he was my college roommate, and he stood in my wedding. If I am honest, when I heard he had graduated to heaven, I wrestled through many of the classic stages of mourning – denial, guilt, anger, negotiation…and I am not sure if I ever truly made it to acceptance. For quite some time, I got stuck in a stage of mourning that is best described as “brokenhearted.”
I hated that phone call so many years ago. In fact, unfortunately, I have had quite enough of those types of phone calls. One came last week, when a dear friend called in tears at 4:00 AM to tell me that one of our best friends in California had died unexpectedly. This friend who graduated to heaven left behind three teenage children and a cherished wife. My heart was shattered with the news.
Finding myself again mourning the loss of a close friend, I mourn deeply, but I also take great solace in the fact that my God is near to the brokenhearted. He weeps with us, He knows our pain, and He died for it. While I am deeply saddened by the loss of my friend, I cherish the times we shared together and the gift that his relatively short life (47 years) was to me and so many others. We will get to see one another again because of the same faith that gives me hope; it allows me to anticipate spending eternity with my friend. This side of eternity, I join David in declaring that my good God is the greatest possible comfort in any time of despair.
Expectantly,
Shawn
