Dear Readers and Listeners, Friends in Jesus Christ,
Our watch word for today is taken from Psalm 34 verse 18, “The Lord is near to the broken-hearted and saves the crushed in spirit,” (NRSVB). The psalmist, King David, suffered many situations in his life where his heart was broken and his spirit crushed. One such situation was when David was fleeing from Saul and came to the priest Ahimelech and asked him for some food. The priest told him that he only had consecrated bread, but agreed that David could have some to save him from hunger. He also gave him the sword of Goliath, to defend himself. David fled to the Achish, the King of Gad, but the servants of Achish recognized David as the one who was praised above King Saul, after David’s great battle victory. David realized that his life was once more endangered. He was given a plan, he pretended to the servants and Achish, as if he was totally deranged! King Achish asked his servants whether he had a need for a madman in his presence. He told them to chase David away, and so David made his escape. David wrote Psalm 34 after he pretended that he was mad and managed to flee. In this psalm he says that humans can praise the Lord always, and in all situations, for God comes, and He delivers. God creates the perfect outcome, even through the strangest of means and ways. David encourages all to keep on crying to God in times of suffering: when one cannot see an outcome, when one is sure that your life is in grave danger. God will hear the cries, and He will deliver one out of distress and trouble. God cares about the lives of his faithful children, and He will not allow them to be crushed in spirit. He will come and intervene to perfect their life-situations. He changes circumstances to protect his children in and through their suffering so that they find consolation and comfort.
“For just as the sufferings of Christ are abundant for us, so also our consolation is abundant through Christ,” Second Epistle to the Corinthians, Chapter 1 verse 5. The Apostle Paul encourages us to see our sufferings in light of Christ sufferings and his glorious consolation for us. He is the One, who in His good time will wipe the tears from our eyes. Jesus Christ suffered every hardship and heart-ache that humans can suffer in order that He could carry these burdens for us. In these times, many have suffered the heart-broken situation of not being able to say final farewells to loved ones. Jesus, in his burial, could not receive the traditional burial rites. He was laid in a grave where only a few followed at a distance for fear of the soldiers and the crowd. This is a consolation to us when we cannot come and say farewells, due to the time where we live in. Before the women could come to pay their respects to Jesus in the grave, He rose from the dead, and could tell them, “Do not fear, go and tell the brothers that I have risen,” (John 20 verse 17).Our loved ones have gone beyond the veil and we cannot see them here on earth, but they have risen to eternal life! Death is our last fear, but it has no power over us and our loved ones, for death has been vanquished by Christ on the Cross. Christ’s sufferings allow us to come to Him and cast our burdens and sufferings on Him, for He has borne all suffering himself. Therefore He knows how to comfort and help us in times of anguish. Christ wants his children to come to him and trust him with each and every heart-ache and each and every sorrow and pain. Christ has overcome the world, the pain and suffering in and of the world. He gives strength to humans to carry and overcome their pain and suffering in this world. In his good time He brings deliverance, for He loves the world. He came to save this world through his love and suffering.
Father, we thank you that you hear our cries. You have sent your Son to carry our burdens and free us to live life with you, full and abundant life, thank you, Father, Amen.