Christ for Mercy...Day 17

"The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit." Psalm 34:18
by Ms. Lauren Jensen, Sheldon, IA

There are few things more daunting than being asked to write devotions concerned with the brokenhearted. We are real people. With real pain. So, maybe "depressing" is a better word for it. It can be depressing to ponder at length the depravity and death that leaves God's beloved children begging for mercy.

And what comfort is there in crying out, "Lord have mercy, Christ have mercy, Lord have mercy?"

The comfort lies in the confidence God speaks through David in Psalm 34:18, "The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit." We are broken. The signs of our broken hearts and crushed spirits are unmistakenable. Tears, anger, and despair are strangers to no one, and so we ask in confidence for mercy because we know and trust that God hears us, simply because He tells us He does.

And yet, He doesn't just hear. He listens. He doesn't just listen. He saves. His mercy is ours in truth of Jesus Christ.

Some take comfort in the idea of a distant apathetic god. Some take comfort in an "inner god" that is right "for them." But those are no comfort, because they are lies. We take comfort in a God who is near to us. So near that He listens to our prayers and repentance. He speaks reconciliation and healing to our hearts. He feeds us and clothes us with Himself. He takes our death and sin upon His body and defeats it. Our God is near.

Lord have mercy