The LORD is Near

When appliances, electronics and toys grow old and break, often they are not worth repairing.  Long gone are the days of VCR and TV repair because of factors like the rapid advancement of technology that renders older obsolete, the difficulty of sourcing parts and the high expense of repair is greater than buying new.  Though parts can sometimes be recycled or repurposed, typically broken items that no longer perform their designed function are useless and only fit for the rubbish bin.  When my coffee machine stopped working, I removed it from the kitchen bench.  In a broken state it was a waste of space.

I am most grateful God does not treat us like we treat our damaged or broken goods.  Instead of throwing us away, God delights to draw near to us in our brokenness.  Our pains attract Him to hear, help and save us when our broken hearts cry out to Him.  See what Psalm 34:18 says:  "The LORD is near to those who have a broken heart, and saves such as have a contrite spirit."  There is a caveat here.  As long as we proudly imagine we are sufficient and do not need God's assistance, our sinful pride creates distance between us and God who loves us.  Yet when we are broken and humbled, recognising our need for help and desiring to draw near to God, He will draw near to us.  Psalm 145:18 also reads, "The LORD is near to all who call upon Him, to all who call upon Him in truth."  It is comforting to know the LORD is near at all times and especially when we are humble and call upon Him in truth.

After he explained how God resists the proud and gives grace to the humble, James exhorted in James 4:8-10, "Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. ⁹ Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. ¹⁰ Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up."  The almighty God is not in a far off place sequestered or insulated from the pains we endure.  He is not frustrated by our neediness, nor does He desire our voices be silenced to save Him pains.  God is near and able to save us:  it is our self-reliance and pride that leads to our suffering being prolonged.  Our lack of humility in our brokenness prevents us from being healed.  God is near to the one whose spirit is crushed and can look nowhere else but to God with the expectation of help and salvation.

Reading the Psalm 34 passage in context illuminates how God has already provided all we need in Jesus Christ.  Psalm 34:17-22 says, "The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears, and delivers them out of all their troubles. ¹⁸ The LORD is near to those who have a broken heart, and saves such as have a contrite spirit. ¹⁹ Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the LORD delivers him out of them all. ²⁰ He guards all his bones; not one of them is broken. ²¹ Evil shall slay the wicked, and those who hate the righteous shall be condemned. ²² The LORD redeems the soul of His servants, and none of those who trust in Him shall be condemned."  There is none good but God, and Jesus Christ is the perfect lamb of God who cried unto the Father and was heard:  though Jesus experienced the pain of crucifixion, not one of His bones was broken.  Through the atoning sacrifice of Jesus and His resurrection from the dead redemption by the Gospel has been provided for all who place their faith in Him.  Many afflictions are part of our life on earth, and we can have all confidence God is near and saves.