Psalm 34:17-20
The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears them; He delivers them from all their troubles. The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. A righteous man may have many troubles, but the LORD delivers him from them all.
Have you ever lost a loved one? In the past I have shared with you about losing our daughter, but I feel led to do so again. “Dad, are you sitting down?” Those words came across the phone lines from our oldest daughter, Brenda, some twenty years ago. I told her that I was. She said, “I am in the hospital with heart failure.” The words struck with the force of a blow to my stomach. I told her that her mother and I would be there as soon as possible. It was over 500 miles from Shelton, Washington, to Boise, Idaho, and we made it in record time.
When we arrived, the prognosis was even worse than we had anticipated. Brenda was diagnosed with Primary Pulmonary Hypertension. The only way she could survive was to have both a heart and lung transplant. In the meantime she, like so many others, had to live with a broken heart.
There is another aspect of having a broken heart—it is the attitude of heart before our God. It may be described as the opposite of pride and arrogance. It was a chief characteristic of our Lord when He walked the dusty roads of Israel. He, who was the One who had created all things, was now in submission to His Father. He lived with a broken heart.
Our hearts need to be crushed and broken by the things we see in our lives that are contrary to the will of God. In these instances, we need to cry out to God and confess our sin in order for Him to forgive and cleanse. This very same attitude should also be evidenced as we observe the sins of our nation and of the world. I think it is time for us to stop and evaluate our lives in view of eternity. More than being brokenhearted because of the loss of a loved one, we need to have our hearts crushed before the Lord. As we examine our lives, may we pray with all sincerity: “Lord let me live before You with a broken heart!”
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
—Pastor Cecil