This morning started like any other — a quiet drive to work and a prayer whispered somewhere between stoplights. My heart has been so heavy lately. Honestly, it’s been one storm after another — big storms — hitting my family, my children, my finances, and even legal issues. I’ve felt so low, so broken, that at times I’ve slipped into silence with God. Not out of rebellion, but out of exhaustion. Out of pain.
But today, in the middle of that silence, He showed up.
As I got closer to work, the radio played a verse that caught my attention:
“The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” — Psalm 34:18
It hit me differently this time. It wasn’t just a verse — it felt personal.
Something in me whispered, That’s for me.
Then, a little later at work, I was scrolling through Facebook, and there it was again — the same verse, in a random reel. I smiled through tears and thought, Okay, Lord, that’s twice.
Then I opened my Bible app… and Psalm 34:18 was the verse of the day.
Three times. Three confirmations. Three divine reminders in the span of three hours.
That’s not coincidence — that’s intentional love.
In Scripture, the number three represents completeness, confirmation, and divine fullness.
- Jesus rose on the third day.
- The Trinity — Father, Son, and Holy Spirit — is the perfect expression of unity and wholeness.
- When something is spoken three times in the Bible, it means God really wants us to pay attention.
So when Psalm 34:18 showed up three times, I knew God wasn’t just repeating Himself — He was speaking directly into my situation.
He was saying:
“I see the storms. I see your tears. I see the weight that’s been crushing your spirit. And I’m right here. I never left.”
Understanding the Context of Psalm 34
Psalm 34 was written by David after one of the lowest, most desperate moments of his life. He had fled for his safety and found himself pretending to be insane in front of a king just to survive. Alone, humiliated, and hiding in a cave, David began to worship.
Out of that dark place came words of raw faith and deep truth — and in that moment, he declared that God is good, that He hears, and that He is close to the brokenhearted.
Psalm 34 isn’t a psalm of comfort written from a palace — it’s a cry of survival written from a cave.
And that’s why it carries so much power.
Because it tells us that even in the darkest, most uncertain seasons of life, God doesn’t disappear — He draws near.
What It Means to Be Brokenhearted and Crushed in Spirit
When the Bible says “brokenhearted,” it’s not just talking about sadness — it means your heart has been shattered. It’s the pain of loss, betrayal, disappointment, grief, or watching life unravel in ways you never expected.
And “crushed in spirit” goes even deeper. It’s when your inner strength feels gone — when you’ve been hit so many times by life that your will to keep fighting starts to fade. It’s that quiet kind of brokenness that doesn’t always show on the outside, but weighs you down on the inside.
But here’s the beautiful part of Psalm 34:18 —
That’s exactly where God promises to show up.
He doesn’t wait for us to be strong again before He draws close.
He doesn’t ask us to put on a brave face before He meets us.
He steps into the cracks of our hearts and whispers, “I’m right here, even in this.”
When I realized that, it hit even harder why He brought me that verse three times.
He wasn’t just reminding me of a truth — He was touching my heart with it.
He was reminding me that He isn’t just aware of my pain; He’s actively holding me through it.
My heart smiled — genuinely smiled — for the first time in a while. It was like God reached right into my pain and whispered, “I’m close, even here.”
Sometimes, God doesn’t wait for us to find the right words to pray — He meets us in our silence. And when He repeats Himself, it’s because He wants to make sure we hear what our hearts have been too weary to believe.
If you’ve been walking through your own storms, this is your reminder too:
God is close to the brokenhearted. He’s not distant. He’s not done.
He’s near, He’s healing, and He’s speaking — sometimes three times in a row — just to make sure you know.
Closing Prayer:
Lord, thank You for finding me when I felt lost in the storm. Thank You for speaking straight into my silence and reminding me that You are near. Let Psalm 34:18 take root deep in my heart. Heal what’s been crushed, restore what’s been lost, and help me to trust that even in brokenness, You are close. Amen.
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