The Aches and Pains of Life
Today’s Verse:
Psalm 34:18 ESV
“The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.
I was sitting during my chemo treatment and all of a sudden my lower back started hurting. Ugh. So, not only was I getting cancer treatment, I had the addition of an achy back. Wednesday wasn’t a fun day. But it got me thinking about being sick and hurting, something that a lot of people are dealing with on a daily basis.
Sickness and body aches have a way of isolating us. When our bodies fail, pain persists, or doctors offer no answers, it’s easy to feel abandoned—by others, by health, even by God. However, Psalm 34:18 offers a different perspective.
God doesn’t keep His distance from suffering. He draws near to the brokenhearted, not waiting for us to recover or become strong. Instead, He enters our weakness, fatigue, and frustration, not shaming the “crushed in spirit,” but saving them.
This isn’t a vague comfort. In Christ, we fully comprehend it. Jesus experienced physical pain and understood the burden of sickness. Through the cross, He entered into our suffering to redeem it. For the baptized, sickness is never a sign of God’s distance. Quite the contrary—our suffering places us right in the arms of the Savior who has borne all our griefs.
Luther once wrote that God hides Himself in suffering, not because He’s gone, but because He’s working there in ways we can’t always see. Even in illness, He is at work—humbling us, teaching us to trust, and preparing us for the complete healing that will occur in the resurrection.
Prayers
A Prayer for Today:
Lord Jesus, when my health fails and my spirit feels crushed, remind me that You are near. Give me strength for each day, hope in Your promises, and peace in knowing You have already borne my suffering. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Apostles’ Creed:
I believe in God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth.
And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried. He descended into hell. The third day He rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty. From thence He will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Christian Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.
The Lord’s Prayer:
Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven; give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever. Amen.
Luther’s Morning Prayer:
I thank You, my heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, Your dear Son, that You have kept me this night from all harm and danger; and I pray that You would keep me this day also from sin and every evil, that all my doings and life may please You. For into Your hands, I commend myself, my body and soul, and all things. Let Your holy angel be with me, that the evil foe may have no power over me. Amen.