Hope for the Broken-Hearted

We began a new sermon series this week on “Thankfulness” using Psalm 138 as our scripture reference.  This psalm is full of good stuff, but I’d like to dig into just a few verses.  Verses 3, 6-7 say, “When I called, you answered me; you made me bold and stouthearted.”  “Though the Lord is on high, He looks upon the lowly, but the proud He knows from afar.  Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve my life; you stretch out your hand against the anger of my foes, with your right hand you save me.” (there is a study note in my Bible that says – He looks upon the lowly “with favor”).  These verses reference back to Psalm 113:5-6 which says, “Who is like the Lord, our God, the One who sits enthroned on high, who stoops down to look on the heavens and the earth?”  Also, Isaiah 57:15 which says, “For this is what the high and lofty One says – “I live in a high and holy place, but also with him who is contrite and lowly in spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite.”

Are you brokenhearted?  Do you think you are so unhappy that this can’t be what God had planned for your life?  Here’s some good news for you!  God himself will revive your broken heart!  Maybe things have happened to you, so you can experience God himself reviving your heart!  What might this look like?  Is there an example of this in the Bible you ask?  Yes, there is!  Psalm 18:6 says, “In my distress I called to the Lord; I cried to my God for help.  From His temple He heard my voice; my cry came before Him, into His ears.”

The psalmist could have just said, “God helped me.”  But instead, in Psalm 18:9, 16-17, he gives us this great picture of how God helped him:

“He parted the heavens and came down; dark clouds were under His feet.”  “He reached down from on high and took hold of me; He drew me out of deep waters.  He rescued me from my powerful enemy, from my foes, who were too strong for me.” 

Isn’t that fantastic?  God is in His temple and yet our cries come into His ears.  This reminds me of James 5:4 which says, “The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord Almighty.”  He is not too big or mighty or busy to hear our cries.  Then, not only does He hear our cries, He takes action in a big way by parting the heavens and reaching down from on high to pull us out of the depths.  Aren’t you thankful to serve such an amazing God?  Let’s give Him praise with all our hearts!!