Through Everything, We Have God
Wednesday’s Verse:
From Psalm 34:18 ESV
“The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit."
This week is only a couple of days old, yet I’ve spent most of it with doctors. My medical doctor relocated from the Hudson Yards area of Manhattan to Englewood Cliffs. Since she is now 'local'—sparing me the GWB toll and that dopey $9 drive-into-Manhattan tax—she scheduled me for an appointment. Add to that an appointment with my oncologist and then my psychologist, and by Tuesday afternoon, I was doctored out.
As I sat down to type a devotional yesterday afternoon, my phone rang. It was my psychologist. I punched the call up on my MacBook, and for the second time this week, we were staring at one another. She broke the silence. “Looking at you through a screen, I can honestly say that you do look like (the word she used rhymes with ‘wrap’). But I want you to do something for me: Tell me about Psalm 34:18.”
My brain was overloaded, so I had to look it up. “The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.” Grasping for words, I ended up saying that the verse shows that human suffering does not alienate a person from God; rather, it attracts His immediate presence.
After I finished, we were both staring at one another. “I want you to make this your favorite Bible verse. Memorize it. Tattoo it on your chest if you have to. Don’t let weakness or self-loathing get you down. Forget worrying about what tomorrow or the future brings. Remember the Lord is near.”
A tear or two later, I thanked my new “Pastor Melissa” for her call. None of us knows what the future holds. Through it all, we have our God. Jesus never leaves us. His Spirit dwells within us. And the Father in heaven gives us all we need.
✝️ A Prayer for Today:
Lord God, grant Your people the strength to know that through all the troubles of life, You are there for us. In Jesus’ name, I pray. 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.
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