I should probably retitle this “Meditate at Eightish” this morning. I woke up as usual, did all of the first “stuff” I normally do, and then sat down and turned on the computer. Nothing. Nada. Zip. Zilch. My computer is on strike (hopefully short-term) or has given up the proverbial ghost (what I fear). So, now I’m at the church, trying to think of something positive to say while muttering about technology under my breath.
All that aside, before I discovered my computer’s act of betrayal, I was reading these words from Psalm 34:
I sought the Lord, and he answered me
and delivered me from all my fears.
O taste and see that the Lord is good;
happy are those who take refuge in him.
The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous,
and his ears are open to their cry.
When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears
and rescues them from all their troubles.
The Lord is near to the brokenhearted
and saves the crushed in spirit.
Many are the afflictions of the righteous,
but the Lord rescues them from them all.
The Lord redeems the life of his servants;
none of those who take refuge in him will be condemned.
I have to admit that verses like this sometimes make me pause. I know faithful people whose prayers for healing were met with hospice. I know faithful people who are carrying burdens that never seem to disappear. If deliverance means a trouble-free life, then Psalm 34 doesn’t seem to match reality.
But David, the psalm’s author, isn’t writing of a life without trouble or pain. In fact, he honestly says, “Many are the afflictions of the righteous.” Faith has never been a guarantee against heartache.
So, perhaps deliverance is something deeper.
Sometimes God delivers us from our circumstances. More often, God carries us through them. God gives strength when ours is gone. God sends companions for the journey. God grants peace that can’t be explained. And even when death comes, death itself is not the end of the story. In Christ, our final enemy has been overcome.
The verse that speaks to me most today isn’t about rescue but about presence: “The Lord is near to the brokenhearted.” Sometimes the greatest promise is that we will never be abandoned, even in our darkest valleys.
The promise of Ps. 34 is that no matter where we are in life or what circumstances we’re experiencing, God’s eyes are on us and his ears are open. So, don’t lose heart. Keep praying. Trust that God hears every word. The answer may not always look the way you hoped, but the promise remains: God is near, and God is faithful. Sometimes the greatest miracle is not that our circumstances change, but that God’s presence changes us.
Prayer: Gracious God, remind me that you are always near to those who are brokenhearted and faithful in every season. Give me courage to trust your presence when my circumstances don’t change, and lead me with the quiet confidence that nothing can separate me from your love. Amen.
