Psalm 34:18
The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.
Psalm 34:18 NIV
Read the Context: Psalm 34 NIV
I will extol the Lord at all times;
his praise will always be on my lips.
2 I will glory in the Lord;
let the afflicted hear and rejoice.
3 Glorify the Lord with me;
let us exalt his name together.
4 I sought the Lord, and he answered me;
he delivered me from all my fears.
5 Those who look to him are radiant;
their faces are never covered with shame.
6 This poor man called, and the Lord heard him;
he saved him out of all his troubles.
7 The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him,
and he delivers them.
8 Taste and see that the Lord is good;
blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.
9 Fear the Lord, you his holy people,
for those who fear him lack nothing.
10 The lions may grow weak and hungry,
but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.
11 Come, my children, listen to me;
I will teach you the fear of the Lord.
12 Whoever of you loves life
and desires to see many good days,
13 keep your tongue from evil
and your lips from telling lies.
14 Turn from evil and do good;
seek peace and pursue it.
15 The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous,
and his ears are attentive to their cry;
16 but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil,
to blot out their name from the earth.
17 The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them;
he delivers them from all their troubles.
18 The Lord is close to the brokenhearted
and saves those who are crushed in spirit.
19 The righteous person may have many troubles,
but the Lord delivers him from them all;
20 he protects all his bones,
not one of them will be broken.
21 Evil will slay the wicked;
the foes of the righteous will be condemned.
22 The Lord will rescue his servants;
no one who takes refuge in him will be condemned.
Footnotes:
Psalm 34:1 This psalm is an acrostic poem, the verses of which begin with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet.
Psalm 34:1 In Hebrew texts 34:1-22 is numbered 34:2-23.
Devotional
When Naomi returned to Bethlehem, the people who remembered her could hardly believe what they were seeing. They asked, “Is this Naomi?” But Naomi wasn’t the same woman who had left years earlier. She had experienced too much loss. She told them not to call her Naomi, which means pleasant. Instead, she wanted to be called Mara, meaning bitter. She was hurting, and she wasn’t trying to hide it. There is something powerful about the fact that Scripture allows us to hear Naomi’s pain. God didn’t remove her words from the story because they were uncomfortable. Her grief was real. And perhaps that’s something you need to hear today. You don’t have to pretend your heart is okay before you bring it to God. You can tell Him you’re disappointed. You can tell Him you’re hurting. You can tell Him you don’t understand. You can even tell Him you’re struggling to trust Him. God already knows what’s happening in your heart. But notice something else. Naomi said she had returned home empty. Yet Ruth was standing beside her. Naomi’s grief was so overwhelming that she struggled to recognize what remained. That doesn’t mean her losses weren’t significant. It means sorrow can sometimes make it difficult to recognize the ways God is still caring for us. You can be grieving and still be loved. You can have unanswered questions and still be held by God’s grace. You can be hurting and still be surrounded by His presence.
Reflect
Is there something you’ve been afraid to tell God because you think you should be stronger in your faith?
Today’s Challenge
Spend time in honest prayer today. Don’t pray what you think you’re supposed to say. Tell God what’s really on your heart.
Prayer
Lord, You know the things that hurt me. You know the disappointments I carry and the questions I struggle to answer. Thank You that I don’t have to pretend with You. Help me bring my grief, frustration, and uncertainty into Your presence. Remind me that You are near to the brokenhearted and that Your love has not left me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Weekly Memory Verse
The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him. Lamentations 3:25 (NIV)
Weekly Challenge: This week, look for one opportunity each day to demonstrate God’s faithfulness to someone else through encouragement, prayer, generosity, or simply being present
I will extol the Lord at all times;
his praise will always be on my lips.
2 I will glory in the Lord;
let the afflicted hear and rejoice.
3 Glorify the Lord with me;
let us exalt his name together.
4 I sought the Lord, and he answered me;
he delivered me from all my fears.
5 Those who look to him are radiant;
their faces are never covered with shame.
6 This poor man called, and the Lord heard him;
he saved him out of all his troubles.
7 The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him,
and he delivers them.
8 Taste and see that the Lord is good;
blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.
9 Fear the Lord, you his holy people,
for those who fear him lack nothing.
10 The lions may grow weak and hungry,
but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.
11 Come, my children, listen to me;
I will teach you the fear of the Lord.
12 Whoever of you loves life
and desires to see many good days,
13 keep your tongue from evil
and your lips from telling lies.
14 Turn from evil and do good;
seek peace and pursue it.
15 The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous,
and his ears are attentive to their cry;
16 but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil,
to blot out their name from the earth.
17 The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them;
he delivers them from all their troubles.
18 The Lord is close to the brokenhearted
and saves those who are crushed in spirit.
19 The righteous person may have many troubles,
but the Lord delivers him from them all;
20 he protects all his bones,
not one of them will be broken.
21 Evil will slay the wicked;
the foes of the righteous will be condemned.
22 The Lord will rescue his servants;
no one who takes refuge in him will be condemned.
Footnotes:
Psalm 34:1 This psalm is an acrostic poem, the verses of which begin with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet.
Psalm 34:1 In Hebrew texts 34:1-22 is numbered 34:2-23.
Devotional
When Naomi returned to Bethlehem, the people who remembered her could hardly believe what they were seeing. They asked, “Is this Naomi?” But Naomi wasn’t the same woman who had left years earlier. She had experienced too much loss. She told them not to call her Naomi, which means pleasant. Instead, she wanted to be called Mara, meaning bitter. She was hurting, and she wasn’t trying to hide it. There is something powerful about the fact that Scripture allows us to hear Naomi’s pain. God didn’t remove her words from the story because they were uncomfortable. Her grief was real. And perhaps that’s something you need to hear today. You don’t have to pretend your heart is okay before you bring it to God. You can tell Him you’re disappointed. You can tell Him you’re hurting. You can tell Him you don’t understand. You can even tell Him you’re struggling to trust Him. God already knows what’s happening in your heart. But notice something else. Naomi said she had returned home empty. Yet Ruth was standing beside her. Naomi’s grief was so overwhelming that she struggled to recognize what remained. That doesn’t mean her losses weren’t significant. It means sorrow can sometimes make it difficult to recognize the ways God is still caring for us. You can be grieving and still be loved. You can have unanswered questions and still be held by God’s grace. You can be hurting and still be surrounded by His presence.
Reflect
Is there something you’ve been afraid to tell God because you think you should be stronger in your faith?
Today’s Challenge
Spend time in honest prayer today. Don’t pray what you think you’re supposed to say. Tell God what’s really on your heart.
Prayer
Lord, You know the things that hurt me. You know the disappointments I carry and the questions I struggle to answer. Thank You that I don’t have to pretend with You. Help me bring my grief, frustration, and uncertainty into Your presence. Remind me that You are near to the brokenhearted and that Your love has not left me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Weekly Memory Verse
The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him. Lamentations 3:25 (NIV)
Weekly Challenge: This week, look for one opportunity each day to demonstrate God’s faithfulness to someone else through encouragement, prayer, generosity, or simply being present
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