God is near the brokenhearted

The hallmark of a truly happy life is not the absence of difficulties, but the presence of God within those difficulties. The Psalm we are looking at today was written by someone who had just come through real trials. The author recalls his fear, his cry, and God's answer to him. Grateful that God saved him and brought him to peace, he writes a song of praise that has sustained believers for generations.

What is striking about Psalm 34 is how it transforms our understanding of a happy life. The world measures the quality of life by comfort and circumstances: what we own, what we have achieved, and how things are going. The Psalmist, however, has learned to evaluate life differently. For him, a happy life is one where God is near, even in the midst of fear, sadness, and moments when things do not go as expected.

This Psalm contains one of the most comforting promises in Scripture: “The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit” (Psalm 34:18).

These words were not written by someone whose life was problem-free. On the contrary, these are the words of a person who suffered, but discovered that precisely in such moments, the Lord is near. Sometimes we might think that God's presence, nearness, and faithfulness are blessings that simply protect us from all difficulties. But they are more than that: it is God's presence, nearness, and faithfulness that keep us standing while we go through the trials.

Therefore, the Psalmist invites us to this challenge: “O taste and see that the Lord is good” (Psalm 34:8). Without waiting for a future day when everything will be fixed, whatever burden you are carrying, taste and see the goodness of the Lord right now.