The Brokenhearted Space
Psalm 34 was written by David while he was literally pretending to be insane to escape a foreign king. He was homeless, hunted, and running for his life. Yet, he starts the Psalm by saying, “I will bless the Lord at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth.”
How do you praise God from a cave? By changing what you look at. David invites us: “O, taste and see that the Lord is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!” God’s goodness isn’t a theory to be debated; it’s a reality to be experienced. And if you feel like you’re too far gone to experience it, look at verse 18: “The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.” He doesn’t look at your brokenness and walk away; He steps closer.
Light in the Darkness
As we drift into Psalms 35 and 36, we see a stark contrast between human wickedness and divine love. The world can be a cruel, self-serving place. People plot, lie, and take advantage of others.
But right in the middle of describing that darkness, the psalmist looks up in Psalm 36:5: “Your steadfast love, O Lord, extends to the heavens, your faithfulness to the clouds.” With God, there is a fountain of life. Even when human relationships fail us or people let us down, His love remains a limitless, life-giving ocean.
Don’t Fret, Just Dwell
This brings us to Psalm 37, which is the ultimate handbook for dealing with envy and frustration when bad people seem to win. Three times in this Psalm, we are told, “Fret not yourself.” Fretting is like spinning your wheels in the mud—it burns a ton of energy but gets you absolutely nowhere.
Instead of fretting, the text gives us a different rhythm: “Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness. Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.” When we shift our focus from what others have to who God is, our hearts find rest.
Lord,
when I look around at the world, it’s easy to get frustrated, angry, and envious. Help me to stop fretting over things I cannot control. Instead, I want to taste and see Your goodness today. Draw near to my broken heart, fill me with the fountain of Your life, and help me to delight deeply in You. I trust my ways to You today.
Amen.
It’s easy to get caught up in “fretting” when we try to process the chaos of life by ourselves. Who is one person in your life who might be feeling crushed in spirit or brokenhearted right now? Send them a quick text today just to check in. Let’s make sure that No ONE Walks Alone this week.
