Near the Brokenhearted

During my time attending a Christian college right out of high school, I had the privilege of developing close friendships with girls my age who loved God supremely. I recognize this as a true blessing from God, since I attended public school and therefore had very, very few Christian friends in my teens that I spent time with regularly. Perhaps my public school friend attended a church every once in awhile to flirt and hang out, but none of them had a similar passion and love for Christ as I did. He really used these close friendships in my college years to draw me even closer to His loving arms, and their counsel helped get me through my time there.

These girls are still close friends of mine, and although I don't see them now nearly as much as I wish, they still hold a very special place in my heart.

While reading over a few psalms today, I happened to come across a particular passage that a very special friend (who was also my suite mate my freshman year) pointed to me at a time were I was, to put it simply, absolutely brokenhearted. I find myself returning to the comforts of this chapter often when I really need to feel that God knows and He understands and He is in control of it all and with me through it all.

Psalm 34:17-22:

When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears and delivers them out of all their troubles. The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit. Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all. He keeps all his bones; not one of them is broken. Affliction will slay the wicked, and those who hate the righteous will be condemned. The Lord redeems the life of his servants; none of those who take refuge in Him will be condemned.

 I'm not sure that if my dear friend had not pointed me to this passage in my time of sorrow that I would truly grasp the meaning of this passage or hold it so tightly to my heart as I do today.

God hears.
He understands.
He delivers.
He is near.
He saves.
He protects.
God is very, very good.

I thank Him for allowing me to come back across these words in my own personal reading. I thank Him for godly friends.