When the righteous cry for help, the LORD hears
and delivers them out of all their troubles.
The LORD is near to the brokenhearted
and saves the crushed in spirit. Psalm 34:17-18
These verses lead me to ask myself, “Self, when do you cry for help? At night when fears and fatigue start their vicious attack? In the morning when the start of a new day seems too much to bear? In the afternoon or mid-morning when the crush of the everyday — the urgency — starts to make its many demands? Whenever the time, it doesn’t matter, because “when the righteous cry” “the LORD hears and delivers.” Look back on the last 24 hours. Have you cried for help? And were you delivered? Yes, Self, you know you have cried and you have been delivered. ”
To which my Self replies, “But being rid of fear is a reoccurring struggle, and being delivered from a certain fear one night doesn’t mean it won’t rear its ugly head the next night. Great sorrow happening at once can make a person brokenhearted and crushed in spirit. But, it does not always take an extreme event to produce that same result. The daily drip of anxiety, the nagging of a certain fear, the inner voice that constantly condemns, day in and day out all lead to a crushed spirit as well.”
To which Self is answered, “But what does the Word of God say? The LORD is near to you, O brokenhearted! The LORD is your salvation, O crushed in spirit! Hold that. Cherish that truth. Use it to fight your fears. Remember to cry out to the LORD God. He is your sure salvation.”
Dear Lord,
It’s three in the morning and I’ve been robbed of sleep. I hear fears and what-ifs come rushing at me.
I feel my anxiety rise to meet them.
My body is so tired. I toss and turn; I cover my head, but my wakeful mind is the host to these voices of fear —
and I can’t shut them out.
Oh, give me grace and deliverance from these enemies.
Drive out anxiety and fill me with trust in you!
Drive out my fears and fill me with reminders of your mercy!
I am a child of little faith, so hold me close and fill up my lack.
Remind me of your promises.
Let me rest in your peace,
and let me sleep again.
Blessed be God,
because he has not rejected my prayer
or removed his steadfast love from me! Psalm 66:20
thoughts and songs 