Psalm 34:18: The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart, and saves such as have a contrite spirit.
Today’s verse is a beautiful promise from God. Unless you’ve been living in a protective bubble your whole life, you’ve no doubt experienced heart break. The loss of a loved one, the betrayal of a friend or spouse, or having your child turn on you are just a few of the extremely painful scenarios that can break your heart. For many who don’t know God, though, they take their pain and blame it on Him for not preventing the action that is causing the heart break.
This is largely unfair as virtually all pain and suffering comes as a result of living in a fallen and sin-filled world. None of that was in God’s original design for man. It was man’s choice to disobey God and bring sin and all of its deadly and painful consequences into existence. Most things that break our heart in life are a result of bad choices made by men/women that carried painful consequences. This is the inevitable truth of the gift of free will – our choices come with consequences. The world doesn’t want you to believe this, but the “math” of choices bringing consequences is no less certain than 1+1=2.
Now many of you reading this aren’t going to like this suggestion. “What if God intentionally allows something in your life to break your heart?” On the surface, this seems impossible that a loving God would knowingly and willingly allow a painful circumstance to enter your life. Since He is omniscient – meaning He knows all things – He would know that such a circumstance would break someone’s heart. How could He do such a thing?
Look at today’s verse – He is near to those who have a broken heart. When things are going well and life is comfortable, it is easy to get complacent with our relationship with God – we take Him and His presence for granted. He knows there is nothing better for us and our growth than a deep, close, and intimate relationship with Him. His desire is always to upgrade our relationship with us. If that is His focus, then you may be able to see why He might allow heart break in your life – to drive you to Him. King David tells us He’s not far when our heart is broken – He is near. What a great promise!
What’s also interesting is the sequence of this verse – the heart must first be broken, and then He saves those with a contrite spirit. Without our heart being broken, we can become prideful and foolishly independent of God’s love and provision. When our heart is broken, that may be what is necessary to break down our pride and independence – coming to the realization we’re not in control. Arriving at such an admission requires humility – which is another word for contrite.
When we get to this point, the Lord is not only near, but He is ready to save. He is ready to forgive you for all your past, present, and future sins and heal you of your broken heart. He’s your creator, and He made you for His good pleasure. He knows what’s best for you, and what is best for you is more of Him in your life. It may seem hard to believe He’ll allow things in life to break your heart, but His actions are always rooted in His goodness and love. Are you broken hearted? The Lord is near, and He is ready to save you and heal you. It’s a beautiful promise, but you have to believe it to make it real. Will you believe?