ENCOURAGEMENT-20 (Psalm 34:18)

WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN YOUR HEART IS BROKEN AND YOUR SPIRIT IS CRUSHED?

BIBLE PASSAGE:
The Lord is close to the brokenhearted 
and saves those who are crushed in spirit.  
(Psalm 34:18)

MEDITATION:
Have you ever felt you were so deep in a valley that you 
felt you would never get out? You felt like the spirit of 
your life had been sucked out of you and you were left 
feeling empty, and possibly alone.

You were tired, weary and so brokenhearted that you lost 
your will to fight through it. You might be going through 
one of those times right now. It is a feeling of hopelessness 
and despair.

Famous singer B.J. Thomas had a song with this phrase in it,
    “Down isn’t so bad, if it gets you to looking up”.
It makes a lot of sense doesn’t it? When we are on the bottom, 
the only place we can look is up. And THAT is a good thing – it 
means we are looking to the Lord for help.

Sometimes we have to live through a valley of grief before we 
can climb the heights of spiritual glory. There are times when 
we have to come to the end of ‘self’ before we can begin to really 
live. We have to realize that our own abilities, our own goodness,
and our own morality is insufficient in the sight of God.

During times like this, we need to remember that God is one who 
is sufficient for what we need to rise out of the valley we are in. 
This is why it is important for us to spend time in the Bible every 
day. The scriptures tell us that when we are at our lowest, we are 
not alone – God is close to us. We may not see Him, or feel His 
presence, but He is there. Why? Because He wants to rescue those 
who have had their spirit crushed.

Isn’t it great to know that we have a God who understands us when 
no one else does? Our God can encourage us and give us directions 
for recovering from despair.

God can turn mourning into joy, sadness into happiness, and 
hopelessness into hope. We worship and serve a God who loves 
us more than anyone else, and has more compassion than we 
could ever imagine. So, why wouldn’t we turn to Him when 
we are in the depths of distress? 

ACTION:
If you are not going through a valley of despair right now, you 
may have one to go through in the future. Be prepared now by 
reading God’s Word and developing a close fellowship with Him 
before you experience a difficult time. If we grow closer to Him
now, then when times are hard, we will immediately go to Him 
for His sufficiency. And, we will find comfort in knowing that
the Lord is nearby.

Pray,
“Heavenly Father, thank You for Your concern for me. 
There are times when nobody else understands me, but 
You do. There are some who want to tell me that You do 
not exist. Lord I know that You do exist and I ask You to 
help me establish a daily habit of spending time with You 
by praying and reading the Bible. Whenever my life is in 
despair, remind me that You are close and You care about 
my plight. Thank You for loving me at all times and for Your 
desire to rescue me from my damaged spirit. I know I cannot 
do anything of lasting value if I am apart from You. Help me 
to no longer depend on myself, but give the reins of my life to 
You.”

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