Psalm 34:18-19
The Lord is close to the brokenhearted. He saves those whose spirits have been crushed. Many are the troubles of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him from them all.
Dear Heavenly Father,
We all deal with those things that cause us broken hearts—stress, anxiety, depression, sickness, or losing someone or something close to us. All these are products of the sin in the world and our lives. We fail to live up to the expectations of others, they become disappointed in us, and when we fail to live up to our expectations, we all can have our spirits crushed. We fail at loving. So we thank you that you have loved this world and us perfectly. Lord, in your word, you promised to remain close to us when we feel buried under all the world’s problems. Our sins—our love for ourselves—divide us from you. Our pride and egos get in the way of loving you and others.
So you sent your Son to forgive us all our sins; he lived the perfect life we could not live; then suffered our punishment on the cross. Jesus gave up his life to defeat death for us; his resurrection proves you have accepted the payment he made for our sins. Our spirits were not only crushed but dead because of our sins; you have given us life. This gift is ours through faith in Jesus; we know he forgave our sins. You have delivered us from all our troubles. Thank you for saving us.
Lord, we pray that we might demonstrate our love for you by sharing this good news of how you are near us with someone who does not know you. So, they, too, will realize how close you are and know you have delivered their spirit from all their troubles. Amen.
Written through Pastor Roger Emmons
Know this: confident hope only comes from God. True hope is knowing Jesus has died and forgiven all your sins. He has removed the guilt and many troubles that have come your way.