The Lord is not only your deliverer. He is your strength. Throughout this Psalm, David is writing to proclaim the fact that He is always good. Through these verses, he is saying that the Lord hears you at all times. There is nothing to big or too small for Him to take care of. He wants to take care of it. Not only that, He wants to project you into a more abundant life with Him and deliver you from the thing that is keeping you down. He is merciful. He draws near to the brokenhearted because of His love towards those that are hurting.  

There is beauty in your mess. For most of my life, whether I actively took notice or built myself around distractions, the same lie was buried in the back of my mind: I am not enough. In sports, school, or friend groups, I would compare myself to the people around me, believing that I needed to earn my seat at the table. I was desperate. Not just in acceptance but in achievement. Through burring that lie deep within me, I found myself in different degrees of brokenness. One of those times included separating from a long relationship. As I was distancing myself from that relationship, I was confronted with the lie that I wasn’t good enough to be committed to for the long haul. My self-esteem was tattered and my confidence was shaken, so I did the only thing that seemed appealing at the time. I went to God. He wasn’t intimidated by my doubts or insecurities. He wasn’t on the outskirts of my life. He was just as deep in my mess as I was, walking me through the process of believing what He says over my own thoughts. He saved me. Metaphorically, as I gave my life over to Him, but also literally God saved me from being crushed in spirit. He delivered me. Instead of thinking “I can’t believe I have to step away from the person that knew me the most”. I was transformed by the idea that our intentional creator knew me not just in my pit but also on His platform.  

No matter the circumstance, God has empowered you through the Holy Spirit to trust Him as your deliverer. He wants you to get real with Him. He wants you to be open about the raw parts of you. He wants you to confront Him with all your doubts and questions. As you go to Him fully as you are, He can use those times to speak to you. He LOVES speaking to you. He is already near to you, but as you draw near to Him you’ll begin to realize it for yourself. Even if you pray over and over for the same thing, you drawing near to Him is your reward. You drawing near to Jesus opens the door for a transformation of the mind. If this is hard for you to believe or practice in your own life, talk to someone strongly pursuing God and let them share with you their own mess and insight. We were never meant to do this alone.   

pray

Jesus, thank you that you are close to the brokenhearted. Thank you that you are good and that you are exactly who you say you are. Help me in my unbelief and let me walk in the freedom that you’ve died for me to receive. Though I may not always feel it, I know that you are worth it. You are my reward. 

– Sarah C.