Too Many Broken Hearts

"The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears,
and delivers them out of all their troubles.
18 The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart, and saves such as have a contrite spirit."
~Psalm 34:17-18

This year is just a month old, yet it has brought heartache to many of my friends. My cousin lost his wife, my friend lost her mother, another friend learned her husband's cancer has returned, and my best friend's mother was found unresponsive, was hospitalized and is now in a nursing home. And closer to home, my father, who has been battling cancer, found he had a new tumor that is inoperable. Life is unpredictable at best, and it is ever-changing, throwing surprises, heartache, and fear of the future our way. It's easy to tell people to be strong, to depend on the Lord, to pray, and to not be afraid, but do those things help, or do they sound like platitudes to the brokenhearted?

"God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging (Psalm 46:1-3)."

There is something very comforting in the Psalms, and I know I have found peace and comfort there many times. There is nothing wrong with quoting Scripture to help someone through a difficult time either, even Jesus quoted Scripture. However, Jesus wasn't just about quoting Scripture, He was a doer of the Word also. He didn't just tell people to be of good cheer, He helped them in their times of sorrow and need.

While it's true we can't bring the dead back to life, we can help those who are grieving in some very real ways. We can let them know we're there to listen, even if it's a 3 a.m. phone call; or, if they're close enough, coffee before work. We can send cards, flowers, or another thoughtful gift, but listening to the cries of the brokenhearted, and being a shoulder to cry on, and crying with them, is one of the most important things we can do. 

After a loss, friends and family are there for a little while but the time comes that everyone else goes home, back to their own lives. Those who are grieving are left to grieve alone, or to deal with an ill loved one on their own. That's when it gets real, when they realize how alone the world can be.

A real friend sticks closer than a brother (Proverbs 18:24), and every one of us need a friend like that. Be the brother, or sister, that is there in the silence, the one who doesn't just say the right thing but practices what they preach. 

"Our love should not be just words and talk; it must be true love, which shows itself in action (1 John 3:18)."

Read
Exodus 1:1-4:17

Weekend Reading
Exodus 4:18-9:35

A Year of Blessings by Marie McGaha
©2018