Psalm 34:15-22

“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.” vss. 17-18

Some believers have difficulty with verses like this. The words just don’t resonate with their experience. We have all known exceptionally good people, we might even categorize them as righteous, who have cried to the Lord for help in their troubles, and who have not been rescued. At the end of their prayers, whatever ugliness has been plaguing them is still present! When that happens, faith is tested and questions abound. And then there are those who have had the opposite experience. They’ve cried out to God and immediately their prayer has been answered–which is of course a good thing. The problem is that their resulting testimony tends to be an indictment of those who feel as though they’ve been “ghosted” by God, and may cause such persons to then assume that they’re not among the righteous. What we often fail to see is that the psalmist does offer consolation to those who feel neglected! He says that the Lord is close to those who have been crushed in spirit. And it’s here that we find an amazing truth! Even in our brokenheartedness God is near–and when we’re on our last legs, God is present. And if we listen closely, in those moments we will hear that we are loved!

Thought for the Day: When have I felt that God has “ghosted” me?