Aug 6, 2025
I was talking with an old friend who is/was also a pastor. Both of us have been in the ministry for over 50 years. We were discussing the common themes we have dealt with in the lives of our congregants. We referred to issues like domestic conflicts, loss of employment, illness, encroaching death from disease, concern about sons and daughters, spiritual needs, etc, etc.
But underlying all these we agreed that for everyone, including ourselves, life brings burdens. Indeed, as the saying goes,” life happens”.
Sometimes life breaks us. I could give so many examples of the brokenness I’ve encountered in precious children of God, but suffice it to say we’re all, on occasion if not permanently, broken.
I always refer to Psalm 34 for comfort: “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” (Ps.34:18). This is not an ideological nor even a religious truth. Rather, it is simply truth. The scriptures say that we “are born to trouble as the sparks fly upward”(Job 5:7) and that “God knoweth our frame that it is dust” (Psalm 103:14). We are fragile, small, and easily broken. Yet we have deep down an intuitive homing instinct for Heaven. We know God exists and is as near as a feeble upward call. Because He lives we have hope.
To quote Psalm 34 again,” The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are attentive to their cry.”(v.15). There is genius in taking our burdens to the Lord and leaving them there, remembering the wisdom of the words, “In thee o Lord do I put my trust.”(Ps. 31:1).
