The Lord is Near

4/18/25 

The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart and saves such as have a contrite spirit. Psalm 34:18.

All the great pillars of our faith have been through the process of affliction; Abraham, Moses, Job, David, the Disciples and the Prophets.  If we know a friend or loved one who has an afflicted soul, tread careful what we would say.  Our words are measured in the Kingdom of Heaven as we are stepping on ground where God is working.  Let our words be filled with life, grace and peace to the distressed. 

So that they caused the cry of the poor to come to Him; For He hears the cry of the afflicted. Job 34:28.

"Sometimes the greatest adversity comes to those God loves most. One of the tests that many of the greatest saints have shared is to suffer a negative reputation — to have others who love and serve God decide that you’re suffering because God’s displeasure is upon you. Jeremiah (and Job) knew the sting of this reproach, as did our Lord Jesus. We must be very careful that we not find ourselves coming against someone who is silently favored of the Lord…

Those who have only read but have not lived the book of Job cannot imagine the stress on a struggling human heart which, held powerless by His power, is still required to trust the love it cannot see and to pray for the friends who have not been friends at all.”  Sorge, Bob. Fire of Delayed Answers, Oasis House.

In fact, the prayer of an afflicted soul is held in high regard in Heaven.  For He has not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted; nor has He hidden His face from Him; But when He cried to Him, He heard. Psalm 22:24.

A shining example of this is a story from A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood about the life of Mr. Rogers, inspired by the 1998 article "Can You Say... Hero?" by Tom Junod, published in Esquire.  “It depicts a troubled journalist who is assigned to profile television icon Fred Rogers, commonly known as Mister Rogers.  He was a television host of the preschool television series Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, which ran from 1968 to 2001.”  He was also a minister of the Gospel. 

The section of the movie has the journalist (Lloyd Vogel) and Mr. Rogers visiting Lloyd’s dying father.  When Mr. Rogers is saying good bye to the dad, he leans down and whispers in the father’s ear.  Afterwards, Lloyd asked: “What did you say to my father?”

Mr. Rogers responded: “I asked him to pray for me.”  Of course, Lloyd asked “Why?” and Mr. Rogers replied: “Anyone who is going through what your father is going through, must be really close to God.”  Inferring, the afflicted have the ‘Ear’ of God!

Let your speech always be with grace…Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another.  Colossians 4:6a and Romans 12:10.

The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart and saves such as have a contrite spirit. Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all.  Psalm 34:18-19.