Food for ThoughtPsalm 34:18 The Lord is Close
Food for Thought
An all-creatures.org Guide to Kingdom Living

By Marni Montanez

Psalm 34:18 Today's New International Version

The Lord is close to the brokenhearted
and saves those who are crushed in spirit.
 
How sensitive and tender our God is.  His heart melts at the sight of our broken heart and readily He comes to our aid.  

A broken heart is a humble heart. It is one that is easily pliable and vulnerable.  This heart is open and weakened with the stress of the day but becomes strong in the comfort of God's presence.

Each one of us has gone through some kind of heaviness that brought us to our knees in despair. Our broken heart and crushed spirit most likely came from life's circumstances. We learned to pull up our boot straps and keep walking on, regardless of the painful limp we developed in our own efforts not to fail. This kind of attitude sets us further and further apart from our Creator.    But when we cry out to God in our humility and acknowledge our need for Him, He pours His strength into our weakened state and holds us up; much like a lifejacket holds up a drowning victim.

God yearns to be our comforter, but unfortunately many of us have hardened our hearts and will not admit defeat or even that we are struggling emotionally. In our efforts to be independent we tend to carry a weight we were never meant to carry. It is the weight of self-reliance.  It is only a matter of time when we will cave in under the pressure. When we are tired enough to drop all pretenses, it is then, in our desperation we run to God's arms.  It doesn't make sense that anyone would resist a holy and loving God, but in our society being emotionally strong and independent is greatly encouraged. People don't want to admit their weakness and insecurities.

Instead we want to appear strong and capable. 

We all need to get to that place of brokenness, where our spirit is crushed and we come to the end of ourselves.  In this place of brokenness and a crushed spirit we find the freedom to rely on God.

Challenge:  Admit to God that you are weak and unable in and of yourself and ask Him for His strength and His wisdom.

God Bless

Marni

Go on to: Psalm 37:7 Be Silent
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lamb-rightThe purpose of this series is to encourage people to live as loving, compassionate, and peacemaking children of God: Jesus tells us to pray, "Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven." (Matthew 6:10) God tells us through Micah (6:8), "He has told you, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of you But to do justice, to love kindness, And to walk humbly with your God." And we know from Revelation 21:4 that there will be no more mourning, or crying, or pain, or death. Thus, Christian living requires us to set the standards of these conditions here on earth for our fellow human beings, and for the other animals, as a witness to the rest of the world. To do otherwise is not Christian.