Psalms for the Broken Spirit

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Finding Hope When Your Heart Feels Like It Has Been Through a Blender

Have you ever had one of those days when everything seemed to go wrong? You burn your toast. You spill your coffee. The dog gives you a look that says, "I'm disappointed in your life choices." Then you open your email and discover someone has replied with the dreaded words, "Per my last email..."

By lunchtime you're wondering if moving to a cabin in the woods with no Wi-Fi and a family of squirrels might be a reasonable life choice.

We've all been there.

Life has a way of bruising our spirits. Sometimes the wounds come from loss. Sometimes from disappointment. Sometimes from church hurt. Sometimes from our own mistakes. And sometimes...it's just Monday.

Thankfully, God knew we would have days like these. That's one reason He gave us the book of Psalms which is a collection of honest prayers from people who knew what it meant to have a broken spirit.

One of the most comforting verses in Scripture is:

"The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.." (Psalm 34:18)

However, here’s the beautiful part; It doesn't say God waits until you get your act together. Nor does it say, He only comes after you've smiled for three consecutive days. It simply implies, “He comes near.”

When your heart is fractured, God doesn't back away. He steps closer. That is the opposite of what the enemy wants you to believe.

If anyone in scripture understood what it means to have a broken heart, it would be David. David wrote many of the Psalms, and if anyone had reason to feel overwhelmed, it was him. After all, He was hunted by King Saul. His own son betrayed him. His very friends, turned against him. David also experienced failure, grief, regret, and deep sorrow. Yet over and over David chose to bring his brokenness to God instead of hiding it.

Listen to his prayer:

"Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me." (Psalm 51:10)

David didn't pretend everything was fine and neither should we. After all, faith isn't pretending you're okay. Faith is trusting God while you're healing.

In those moments when our spirit feels crushed, Proverbs tells us something profound:

"A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones. " (Proverbs 17:22)

A broken spirit doesn't just affect emotions, it steals energy. In fact it not only steaks energy, it steals joy, and it steals hope.

We often try to patch up a weary spirit with busyness, distractions, or another cup of coffee. Those things may help us feel better for a little while, but they can't reach the deepest places of the soul. Only the Lord can breathe fresh life into a weary heart and restore what exhaustion has stolen.

What I love about the Psalms is that they teach us to talk honestly with God. One of my favorite things about the Psalms is that nobody seems concerned about sounding overly spiritual. For instance, David cried. He questioned. He rejoiced. He even worshiped. And in some moments of his life, He did all of these in the same chapter!

If social media had existed back then, David's followers might have been confused. For instance,;

His morning post says:"God is my refuge!"

His afternoon post stated: "Everyone hates me."

Yet, His evening post proclaimed:"Praise the Lord forever!"

Sound familiar? The beautiful thing is God never rebuked David for bringing Him honest emotions. God can handle your questions. He's not intimidated by your tears or outburst of honest questions and emotional instability.

In Psalm 42 David is encouraging His own spirit by saying,:

"Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God. (Psalm 42:11)

David actually talks to himself. Now, don't be alarmed if you've ever talked to yourself. Sometimes the wisest sermon you'll hear all day is the one you preach to your own heart. David wasn't spiraling; he was reminding his soul of what was true.

In the midst of this verse we can detect great wisdom here. Instead of listening to despair, David preached truth to his own heart. Sometimes we need to remind ourselves what God has already said, and that is that hope isn't a feeling. For we know that HOPE is a person.

The Psalms ultimately point us to the Son of God, Jesus. Isaiah prophesied that He would be: "...a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief..." (Isaiah 53:3)

Friend, Jesus understands rejection, and he understands betrayal. Jesus also understands loneliness and suffering. With this knowledge in hand, we can further understand for ourselves that there is no broken place in your life that He cannot enter with compassion.

Let me encourage you with this: Your story isn’t finished!

Perhaps today your spirit feels bruised. Maybe you've been carrying silent burdens that no one else sees. Take heart. The same God who comforted David is comforting His children today, for we know that God still restores. We can see that God still heals hearts, and that God sings over His people.

A day is coming when every tear will be wiped away forever. Until then, I encourage you to keep opening the Psalms. Read them slowly. Pray them honestly and let them remind you that even broken hearts can still sing.

I am reminded that at the funeral of my brother and my mother, that I was asked to sing. At the age of fifteen, my heart was indeed broken, but it was my hope to fulfill my mother's request that I would sing at her funeral. With God's help, singing always comes in the mourning!

Maybe today isn't the day to fix everything. Maybe today is simply the day to rest in the presence of the One who heals what no one else can. So take a moment to pause, to breathe, and read another Psalm.

When you do, you will witness the Great Shepherd carry what has become too heavy for you. You have never been beyond His watchful eye or His faithful care, because Jesus is the Good Shepherd.

Selah

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Struck Down

but

Not Destroyed

This novel by award-winning Christian author, Jane E. Morin is an emotionally charged tale based on a real-life story.

In it's 3rd Edition, Struck Down but Not Destroyed is a story filled with broken promises, dark secrets, and profound betrayal. An entire community is shaken and two family members are dead in three days.

What will happen to the remnant left behind?

Will the family curse live on?

Will a little girl ever feel safe again?

Will this woman ever be able to look beyond her bitterness and grief and find everlasting peace?

Lizzy wonders, “Is there a God and if He does exist, can He help her?”

Morin’s novel is based on her own life story, Struck Down but Not Destroyed is a life-changing and thought-provoking tale of tragedy overcome by faith, perseverance, and hope!

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