What does Psalm 34:18 mean?
It means God comes close when your heart is broken. He doesn't keep His distance from people who are hurting. He draws near, and He saves.
If you're thinking about ending your life, call or text 988.
The LORD is near to the brokenhearted; He saves the contrite in spirit.
What it means
Brokenhearted means just what it sounds like: grief, rejection or loss that leaves you in pieces. “The LORD is near to the brokenhearted.” Not near to the people who have it all together. Near to the hurting, right where they are.
He saves the contrite in spirit. Contrite means crushed or broken down, sometimes by what's happened to you and sometimes because you're sorry for what you've done. Either way, God doesn't turn away. He comes to save.
The verses around it
The heading of Psalm 34 links it to a frightening time when David pretended to be insane to escape a king (1 Samuel 21). The psalm is honest. Verse 19 says many are the afflictions of the righteous. God doesn't promise no trouble. He promises to be near in it and to deliver, in His time.
Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the LORD delivers him from them all.
The lies it answers
The thoughts this verse speaks to, in the words people use for them.
“God doesn't hear me, and He's far away.”
When God feels far, this verse says He's near to the brokenhearted.
Bible verses for when you feel like God isn't listening“They didn't want me. Something must be wrong with me.”
People may have turned away. God draws near.
Bible verses for when you feel rejected“Nobody cares what happens to me.”
Someone does care. The Lord comes near to the crushed in spirit.
Bible verses for when you feel like nobody cares
Say it out loud
The Lord is near to me when my heart is broken. He doesn't turn away from me. He comes close, and He saves.
More Bible declarations like this
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Questions people ask
What does contrite in spirit mean?
It means crushed or broken down inside. In Psalm 34:18 it can describe someone flattened by grief, or someone humbled and sorry for their sin. God comes near to both.
Why doesn't God take my pain away right now?
The Bible doesn't always say why. Psalm 34 admits that the righteous have many troubles. What it promises is that God is near in them and will deliver, sometimes now and fully in the end. It's okay to tell Him it hurts.
What should I do when my heart is broken?
Tell God honestly, the way David did. Don't carry it alone: talk to someone you trust. If you're thinking about ending your life, call or text 988 now.
More free tools
- Flip a thought Type the thought you can't shake and see what God says about it. Nothing is saved.
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