“The LORD is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.” (Psa. 34:18).
People are in a state of grace who are truly contrite and broken because of sin. How do we know this? The Lord is near to them. He that is contrite (crushed in spirit) has been convinced of sin by the Spirit of God, and has been made to see its evil, and the evil that will follow it. His sin and his misery have been perceived. He is grieved because he has sinned against the Lord, and wishes that his sorrow might be more abundant, because his sin has so much abounded, and he mourns over a corrupted heart and nature which inclines him to nothing else but sin. His heart troubles him, which is so fallen, as well as actually sinful. He accuses himself in his own sight. This hatred of all sin argues spiritual and saving understanding.
David explains these truths in Psalm 34:15-19. The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and His ears are attentive to their cry. The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them; He delivers them from all their troubles. The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. The righteous person may have many troubles, but the Lord delivers him from them all.
Further, those who are in a state of grace, have received Jesus Christ the Son of God and His salvation. To reject Christ binds all our guilt on us, and fixes us under wrath, and it is in effect to refuse salvation, (1 John 1:12). If Christ is rightly and indeed received, He is received just as God offers Him, as a Prince to rule, as well as a Savior to deliver from God’s wrath. This Christ allows God to draw near to sinners because of His mediation. He gives sinners repentance and “remission of sins,” (Acts 5:31). Christ must be received as an able Savior, as a willing Savior, as the only Savior; and the whole of that salvation of which He is the Author must be valued, and this is where the spirit of s sinner knows it is crushed by sin and needs God’s grace. When He is received, there is a consent to cast all that offends God out of the heart to make room for Him the Father, and God’s Spirit. His strictest commands, His mortifying and sanctifying Spirit, His yoke, His burden, His reproach, His cross, are all welcome for His sake and glory; it is in this that God draws near to the sinner who is crushed in spirit. God is near to the brokenhearted.
The psalmist was a sincere saint who said, “Whom have I in heaven but You, and there is none on earth that I desire besides You,” i.e. none as my great help, as my chief happiness besides You. And notice is taken of the grace of God bestowed upon the Churches of Macedonia, “because they gave their own selves to the Lord,” (2 Corinthians 8:5). If your eyes have been opened to see that God is far greater good to you, and you desire and choose the Lord Himself who is so gracious and all-sufficient, as incomparably the best portion, and are willing to be His portion as to have Him as yours, this willingness shows that you are of the number of His people, and that His powerful grace has been at work in you. “Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power,” (Psalm 110:3). God is called the portion of Jacob, and Israel is described as the rod of his inheritance, (Jeremiah 10:16). As Nathaniel Vincent said, “God and His people choose each other.” If you draw near to the Father, He promises to draw near to you. He promises His children that He “attends to their cry and delivers them from all their troubles.” What comfort David had in considering all this!
People are in a state of grace who hunger and thirst after righteousness, those who are brokenhearted and crushed in spirit, and to these God will draw near. Ask the Lord to continually draw you to Himself. Desire His presence, His protection, and His peace at all times, so that with the psalmist you can say, “Whom have I in heaven but You, and there is none on earth that I desire besides You.” It is in these times that we often come to realize that God draws near to us to lift up our spirit by grace and mercy.
- Why do I concern myself with the unfortunate circumstances of life instead of running to You for refuge and strength? You promise to comfort and protect me when I seek You in righteous humility. May I learn to run under Your wing when the wolves around me bare their teeth. May I seek refuge with You when those I love and trust turn against me. May I learn to run to Your high tower when I disobey You. Teach me to bring every problem, every failure, every disappointment to You, Lord, because You alone are able and ready to rescue, forgive, and deliver me.
- O Lord, when life’s circumstances strip me of my false sense of security, help me see more clearly that all I need I can find in You. You clothe me in the righteousness of Christ. You give me the bread of life when I am hungry and living water when I’m thirsty. You are intimately concerned with my loss, my grief, my lack… and You fill my every need. May I never forget where my true strength for living comes from.
- Lord, You are not only full of love, You are love itself! You love me with an everlasting love and with lovingkindness You draw me to Yourself. This truth is so beyond my comprehension that I’m afraid at times I struggle to even believe it, much less take hope in it. Alert my heart to Your ways, Your strength, Your desire to be my sole refuge in times of trouble. Help me see that even when I sin, my best choice is to run toward… not away from You. Cleanse me, Lord, from secret sins and from complacencies that keep me from Your presence. In good times and in bad, with blessings and with burdens, teach me to draw near to You with my whole heart.
Further References for Psalm 34:18
Ps. 51:17, 145:18, 147:3; Isa. 57:15, 61:1, 66:2; Luke 6:21
