Where is God? I should probably respond to that question quickly lest anyone might think I’m chucking my faith.
Psalm 34:18
The LORD is close to the brokenhearted;
he rescues those whose spirits are crushed. (NLT)
I am of the brokenhearted, so it’s good to know God is near me. That's where God is. This past week I tried to focus on that promise. It’s a promise that’s been on the back burner of my mind for these past few months; but for whatever reason, when I’ve been in the middle of a grief spell, when my broken heart has led to buckled knees, my mind doesn’t call up this promise. For some reason it’s stayed on the back burner.
This week I’m working to front-burner that promise. And here’s why.
Long before the rainbow became a personal, divine logo of this journey I’ve been long intrigued by how God phrased His covenant to Noah with regard to the rainbow. (and if you need a refresher on our rainbow story, here’s a link to a news story:
http://www.middletownjournal.com/n/content/oh/story/news/local/2006/10/10/mj101006mccrabbrainbow.html )
Check out God's phrasing in this excerpt from the scene in which God is explaining to Noah his new covenant to not destroy the earth by water:
16 Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it…
What has long intrigued me—and comforted me—about this phrase is the fact that whenever I see a rainbow, Genesis 9:16 tells me that God is looking at that EXACT SAME rainbow! God said that He “will see it.” When I’m looking at a rainbow He and I are sharing a moment. The rainbow is a tangible item that exists in this physical world that God is seeing the same time I am seeing it. He’s looking at it too.
The broken heart is the new rainbow.
During what can only be described as an “episode” of the broken heart, God is close. Of course we all know that God is everywhere, and has promised to be with us. But a broken heart is something that we feel (some day I may try to describe how my heart feels). Emotion surges from a broken heart and spills into the physical realm, either via anxiety, or tears, or whatever. This is what makes it so tangible. And it’s this tangible experience that God is in. He’s close. He’s near.
When the grief comes over me, I don’t always remember the Psalm 34 promise that God is near the brokenhearted. And when I do remember the promise, it usually doesn’t bring instant peace. In fact, I sometimes feel it that it deepens and stretches the episode. But I find that I enjoy the shared moment with God. Maybe that’s why the episode stretches out.
I’ll leave you with Eugene Peterson’s take on Psalm 34:18 from The Message.
18 If your heart is broken, you'll find GOD right there;
if you're kicked in the gut, he'll help you catch your breath. (The Message)
Counting on God’s closeness and letting Him help me catch my breath,
Barry
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Bear,
ReplyDeleteI called you today and got Dana's voice on the message machine. It instantly brought back flashes of the past months, and our last visit with her. She was clear minded and engaged, and I thought the church group was singing her into Jesus' arms.(is there an apostrophe after the s?...Dana would know:-)
That's what the rainbow does for me too. It brings back that flood of memory that God is ever present. That He walks beside us in our journey through life.
I was telling Natalie about heaven and how she and Dana would dance and play the harp, and "raise the roof" there. Natalie gave a shout as if to say, "Amen, tell me more". It makes me long for the day when we will indeed find out how great our God is!
We're lifting you up in prayer my friend.
Hugs,
Sue and chuck and Natalie
Your insights touch me. Your gift of communication is a blessing. Thanks for sharing those thoughts.
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