5 min read
“The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.”
Psalm 34:18
There is a lie that quietly attaches itself to grief: that if your faith were stronger, this would not hurt so much. But Scripture never asks you to grieve less. It promises that you will not grieve alone.
Notice where God is in this verse. Not distant, waiting for you to pull yourself together. Close. Close to the brokenhearted, near to the crushed in spirit. The Hebrew paints a picture of God bending down, leaning in toward the ones who can barely lift their heads.
Grief is love with nowhere to go, and the God who is love does not flinch from it. He sits with you in the ashes, keeps track of every tear (Psalm 56:8), and stays until morning, however long the night. When words run out, you can still whisper His name, and that is prayer enough.
A prayer
Lord, You are near even when I cannot feel You. Thank You that my sorrow does not push You away but draws You closer. Hold what I have lost, and hold me. Be my comfort when the words run out. In the name of Jesus. Amen.
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