Psalm 34:18  The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.

In church we sang a song that had a verse that really touched me.  It spoke of the tired and weary, the lost and lonely, and the brokenhearted.  All of us have probably experienced all these things at one time or another.  Hopefully in those times, we have experienced the closeness of the Lord and been blessed by His love and presence.  But each of these can be formidable things to deal with.

The thing that I was particularly struck by was the thought of all those around us, who may or may not know Jesus, who are experiencing one or more of these things.  Take a moment to think of those in your circle of relationships.  Are there any who are tired and weary?  I don’t think this is talking about physical tiredness that comes from working hard or doing something physically demanding.  It seems that it is referring to a weariness of spirit, which would be similar to one being lost or lonely, or brokenhearted.  Typically, these conditions come with discouragement.

An illustration that has really been helpful to me is that of an outrigger on a canoe.  It is there to stabilize the canoe in turbulent water.  I’ve found that there are times when we’re able to come along side of a friend or coworker who’s going through difficulties and the Lord enables us to function like an outrigger on their canoe as they go through ‘whitewater’ in their life.  We’re there to encourage; pray with them; listen to them; give help and advice if asked; possibly share our faith.  The Lord gives us the opportunity to help them keep their “canoe” from tipping over.  We’re there to help them get through the difficulties.  It’s all about loving them.

It’s not about evangelizing – it’s about being the fragrance of Christ.  It’s about being salt and light.  It’s about loving those around us – being able to touch them with the love of God.  The Lord is close to the brokenhearted – and sometimes He wants us to be the ones, through whom, they experience Him.