I had a really tough day about eight months ago. Tougher than my usual “tough days”. My 2 ½ year old daughter, Ellie, was brushing her teeth and she fell off her step stool and hit her chin on the marble bathroom counter and then hit the ground. As I lifted her up in the middle of her screams to comfort her, I found blood everywhere. Her chin had a huge gouge in it where a whole chunk of skin had come off.
After keeping myself from fainting, and then saying a crazy amount of prayers over her, I knew I had to make some decisions. Do I take her into urgent care? Do I try and treat her here? What should I do?!!
Trying to make rational decisions when I felt like I just wanted to join my daughter in her crying fest was not easy. And I did cry. Like four times that day. I thought of what happened to her over and over again and my heart just ached for her.
But later that night as I looked back on the day’s events, I realized something: when Ellie was hurt, my heart of love just exploded for her! I think that’s where some of my tears were coming from — I had so much compassion for her! I just wanted to take her in my arms and make her feel better.
In that moment of awareness, then, I heard God say, “Sarah – this is how I feel every time you cry or feel sad and broken.”
“When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears and delivers them out of all their troubles. The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.” (Psalm 34:17-18)
First of all, you need to know that YOU ARE RIGHTEOUS because of Jesus. If you believe that Jesus is your Savior, you have full access to his righteousness, which makes you righteous. So this verse applies to YOU, my sister friend!
Next, you need to know that when you feel broken, hurt, discouraged, or alone, you can cry out to Jesus and he not only will hear you, but he will have a DEEP COMPASSION for you and your specific situation. His heart of love is exploding over you!
Every single time you cry, Jesus is near to you, and he also has a plan for how to deliver you out of your troubles and save your crushed spirit. God’s plan is not for you to stay in a place of despair; his plan is to heal your heart, even if your circumstances don’t change. Therefore, “Don’t set your hope on the what. Set it on the WHO!” (Craig Groeschel).
So set your eyes on Jesus today, friend, because he has a PLAN of deliverance and wholeness for your life!
Reflective Prayer (try saying it out loud!):
Thank you, Jesus, for paying attention to every tear I have cried. Thank you for your exploding love and for drawing me close to you when I am hurt. Reveal your truth of healing and wholeness within my life, lift me out of the despair, and help me walk in the hope of your amazing plan for my life. You are my deliverer! I praise you, Father! Amen.
Journal / Reflection Questions
- Write down Psalm 34:17-18.
- Next, write a short letter to Jesus where you may feel, or have felt, broken or hurt and ask him for help in these areas.
- Now, rewrite TRUTH from the scripture above. You could write something like this: “I know the Lord hears me and IS DELIVERING ME out of _____. He is repairing my broken heart and healing my crushed spirit. I am no longer broken but I am made new! I am healed and whole by the power of JESUS!”
Sarah Legband is a stay-at-home-mom who manages a multi-generational household (1 husband, 2 young kids, and 3 grandparents). She also leads Substance Moms and enjoys speaking and blogging through her site, sarahelizabeth.org. Some of her favorite things are salsa-dancing, physical touch (love language), and Thai food.