Freely Speaking Audio Devotion

Welcome to Freely Speaking, an OHSOFREE devotional ministry where we share our hearts

and trust God for transformation.

Today’s devotion was written by Laura Stewart.

“The Lord is close to the broken-hearted; He rescues those whose spirits are crushed.” (Psalms

34:18 NLT).

If I am honest, I have doubted the truth of this verse. At times, I have been convinced that God abandoned me or at least turned His back on me. I did not feel like He was closer to me in the middle of my grief. I wondered where He was and felt crushed into an unrecognizable pile of tiny, unidentifiable shards.

In my head, I knew He was there, but I desperately wanted more than head knowledge. I wanted to feel Him close to me, holding me. I wanted to hear Him encourage me and tell me it would be ok. Sometimes, our feelings of grief, sorrow, and pain are so big and so strong that they are all we can feel.

In the middle of my worst moments of grief, I could not see God, but that does not mean He wasn’t there. I kept calling out to Him and reaching toward Him. I worked at remembering who He was and praised Him for little things. I begged Him to take away the pain, but instead, He held me tightly. He did not remove the crushing but helped me bear up under it.

He calmed my raging emotions, allowing me to feel His presence. He walked with me so that I was never alone. He kept me sane and held me together. I wish I could tell you everything is better now, but it’s not. I still have moments and days of overwhelming heartbreak, but He is with me.

My friend, if you are muddling your way through a blindingly dark season, hold on. Cling to Him. Cry out to Him and remember who He is and the good He has done. Lean all your weight onto Him. He cares for you. Your broken heart may be raging, and pain is all you can feel, but I promise He is there. He is closer than you know.

What steps can you take to lean on Him?

Thank you for joining us today. If you would like to learn more about OhSoFree Ministries,

please visit us at www.ohsofreeministries.com.