Hello siblings,
Can you imagine that broken hearts are medical condition? I recently learned of a health issue, called ‘broken heart syndrome’. It results from the sudden weakening of the heart muscle due to extreme stress. Is that something God cares about? Consider Today’s Holy Nougat.
Psalms 34:18 CEB
[18] The LORD is close to the brokenhearted; he saves those whose spirits are crushed.
Of Broken Hearts and Crushed Spirits
It is important to recognise that there is a difference between a crushed spirit and a broken heart. A broken heart results from emotional pain or stress experienced; whereas a crushed spirit results from someone being intentionally degraded or minoritised to the extent that they become less of themselves. Our Nougat assures us that in both cases, God is not only near, but God will save.
Self-Check
How does knowing that God is near and that God will save affect our reaction in dehumanising situations?
Application
Perhaps the gravest response to our Nougat is denial. That is, we recite the words but fail to live as purple who know God is in our corner. For our deliverance is less about what we say, but how we respond when the going gets tough.
Do you remember the song, I Will Survive? In the story the song presents, the individual was attempting to cope with heartbreak initially. However, with time passing, the narrator found the strength to rise above the pain. I firmly believe that it is solely by God’s grace that we can overcome. As we move forward, let’s think of a time in the past when we literally felt our heart was broken, and God nursed us back to health?
God’s nearness isn’t ‘from a distance’ as the song suggested in the 90s. Even when we do not feel God’s presence, God is here. God’s Spirit within us is proof. So, in troubling, debilitating, and dehumanising
moments, we have this guarantee from God to be present. Y’shua even repeated it in the Beatitudes. May we find the strength to receive freely.
Prayer Point
Find a psalm that speaks to God’s support and protection, when we’re experiencing heart break or are being belittled. Allow it to minister to our spirit. Sing or play it as we cry out to God.
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May all we seek be found in Christ
