The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.
Psalm 34:18
As I talk to people who come to me for grief counseling, the first thing I usually hear is that they are spent with sorrow, sadness, and overwhelming grief. Their energy has gone and they are feeling that they have no more strength for the things of life. And then I hear, “I am totally brokenhearted.”
“What can I do?” they ask. “How will I ever feel whole again without him?” There are many days when they feel that their hearts will never be restored to their former “full of love and hope” hearts.
I know they feel empty and lonely… and sometimes desperate. I have the scripture verse in Psalm 34:18 etched into my brain. I always pray that God will lead me to say it to them at the right time. When it is not the “right time”, they can feel very angry, depressed, or empty. “How will He heal my broken heart?” they cry.
When I was much younger in my counseling career I used to just say that I didn’t know HOW He would do that. As a widow who is much older now and has lost many precious people, I’ve changed my answer.
He meets us in our weakness, I believe. How? By the people He might send in to your life, or the card or letter that says just what you needed to read. Or the sermon you hear when you finally make it back to church. Or the call from someone from your past who says when you answer “Hello, I was just thinking about you.”
Merciful God, Thank you for your promise to mend our broken hearts and lift our spirits high. Please refresh us when we feel completely depleted. Amen.
Sylvia Havlish is grief counselor for Lutheran Congregational Services, and a member of St. John’s Lutheran Church in Emmaus.
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