Near to the brokenhearted
The psalm on God’s nearness
The psalm makes a promise about where God draws close: the LORD is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit. Not distant from the broken, not absent in the crushing, but near — closest, in fact, to those whose hearts are shattered and whose spirits are crushed. The very condition that feels like God-forsakenness is the one to which he draws nearest.
Failure breaks the heart and crushes the spirit, and in that state it can feel as though God has withdrawn, as though the failure has driven him away. The psalm says the reverse: he is near to the brokenhearted. The crushing is not evidence of his absence but the very occasion of his nearness. For a leader brokenhearted over a failure, this is the deepest comfort: you have not been abandoned in your brokenness; God is nearest now. The place that feels most like distance from God is exactly where he has drawn close.
“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.”
— Jesus, blessing those who mourn — Matthew 5:4 (WEB)
God draws nearest to the brokenhearted and crushed. The condition that feels like God-forsakenness is the very occasion of his nearness.
“The LORD is near to those who have a broken heart, and saves those who have a crushed spirit.”
The psalm locates God’s nearness precisely in brokenness. A leader formed here believes God is closest, not absent, in his crushing. The inner work is trusting nearness where it feels most like distance.
In brokenness over failure, believe God is near, not withdrawn. Comfort the crushed among you with this nearness rather than leaving them to feel forsaken. Lead from the comfort of a God who is closest in the crushing.
Leaders read brokenness as evidence God has withdrawn. The blind spot is mistaking the place of his nearest presence for abandonment.
In your or another’s brokenness this week, lean into the truth that God is nearest to the brokenhearted rather than absent.
Failure breaks the heart, and in that state it feels as though God has withdrawn. The psalm says the reverse: he is nearest to the brokenhearted — the crushing is the occasion of his nearness.
In your brokenness over failure, do you believe God has withdrawn, or that he is nearer now than ever?