Scripture- “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.”- Psalm 34:18
Insight: Due to popular demand, and an overwhelming need for me as the writer to indulge in worship as well during these difficult days, this week we will return to lyrics that lift our souls and focus our attention on the goodness, strength and sufficiency of an all powerful God through worship. The very act of worship invites God into our lives, into our difficulties. It draws Him in, so we can sense His presence. It allows us to not minimize our problems, but instead to shift our focus from our problems to His sovereign ability to help strengthen us through our storms. We should never diminish our struggles, but we can worship the One who is bigger than the storms we face. We should lift our head in faith and look up, before we lash out in fear. We should follow the Creator and not the crowd.. He is bigger than any problem we face. But first we must surrender all things over to Him and admit how much we need Him. We must first invite Him in. Complaining pushes God away, but worship invites Him in, to draw near to us.
I love a song by Brian Johnson called ”Love Came Down.” This song reminds us of how close the Lord is to us. He didn’t stay distant and unapproachable but rather He came close to us, experiencing our earthly struggles so He could relate to us in an experiential way that would be impossible any other way. He showed us what a relationship with Him looks like because He can relate to our pain on this earth. In fact, He experienced more pain and suffering than we can ever imagine in order to pay our sin tab in full, so we could be reconciled back to God for all of eternity. Some of my favorite lyrics from this song go like this: “When my heart is filled with hope and every promise comes my way, when I feel your hands of grace rest upon me. Staying desperate for you, God, staying humble at your feet, I will lift these hands in praise and I will believe. I’ll remind myself of all that you’ve done. And the life I have because of your Son. Love came down and rescued me. Love came down and set me free. I am yours, I am forever yours. Mountains high or valley low, I sing out and remind my soul, I am yours. I am forever yours. I am yours. I am yours, for all my days Jesus, I am yours.”
This is a truly heartfelt song about how much we need to remind ourselves on an ongoing basis of all that Jesus has done for us. Because He chose to leave Heaven, and draw close to us on earth, we have a God who is close to the brokenhearted and the downtrodden. He can relate and he promises He will never leave us or forsake us. ( Hebrews 13:5 ) Praising Him with worship will draw Him even closer and give you the peace that you cannot find anywhere else.
Prayer: Father God, thank You for being so close to us through Jesus. He came to show us that You are not a distant God, but rather an intimate God who is close to us in proximity when we choose to worship you, in whatever format we feel comfortable with. Singing, praying, reading scriptures- it is all beneficial to us because it draws you in, instead of our foolish pride keeping you out. Amen!
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