Psalm 34: The Lord is Near the Broken-hearted
Psalm 34:18 - He is our comfort, our deliverer, our companion in suffering and is faithful.
“The Lord is near to the brokenhearted
And saves those who are crushed in spirit.”
Psalms 34:18 NASB1995
This is probably the most quoted verse in Psalm 34. God is closest to us when we are crushed and brokenhearted. I can testify that this is true! When I lost my Mother in early 2007, I was crying out to Him for His consolation. Steve had to leave on a business trip right after her funeral so I was alone. Suddenly, I felt like I was being held in the embrace of the most loving arms! This is not the only time I have felt that comfort. Here are the Charles Spurgeon Exposition/Explanatory notes from Precept Austin:
EXPOSITION
Ver. 18. The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart. Near in friendship to accept and console. Broken hearts think God far away, when he is really most near them; their eyes are holden so that they see not their best friend. Indeed, he is with them, and in them, but they know it not. They run hither and thither, seeking peace in their own works, or in experiences, or in proposals and resolutions, whereas the Lord is nigh them, and the simple act of faith will reveal him. And saveth such as be of a contrite spirit. What a blessed token for good is a repentant, mourning heart! Just when the sinner condemns himself, the Lord graciously absolves him. If we chasten our own spirits the Lord will spare us. He never breaks with the rod of judgment those who are already sore with the rod of conviction. Salvation is linked with contrition.
EXPLANATORY NOTES AND QUAINT SAYINGS
Ver. 18. The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart. God is nigh unto them (with reverence be it spoken), God takes so much complacency in the company of such, that he cannot endure to have them far from him; he must have them always under his eyes; as for these broken ones, he will be sure not to leave them long, nor go far from them, but will be ready at hand to set their bones, to bind up their wounds to keep them from festering. It may be he may put them to much pain before he brings the cure to perfection, but it is to prevent future aches. He is a foolish cruel chirurgeon, who, for fear of putting his patient to some pain, never searcheth the wound, but skins it over presently; and a wise man will not think him unmerciful that puts him to exquisite pain, so he may make a thorough cure of it. Thus God doth by his patients sometimes, when the nature of their distemper calls for it. But, however, he will be sure not to be out of the way when they want him most. It is possible that they may look upon themselves as forgotten by God, they may not know their Physician when he is by them, and they may take their Friend for an enemy; they may think God far off when he is near; but when their eyes are opened and their distemper is pretty well worn off, they will, with shame and thankfulness, acknowledge their error; nay, they do from their souls confess, that they do not deserve the least look of kindness from God, but to be counted strangers and enemies; but God will let them know that he loves to act like himself, that is, like a God of love, mercy, and goodness; and that they are the persons that he hath set his heart upon; he will have them in his bosom, never leave them nor forsake them; and though these contrite ones many times look upon themselves as lost, yet God will save them, and they shall sing a song of thankfulness amongst his delivered ones. James Janeway.
Ver. 18. The Lord is nigh unto them, etc. Consider the ADVANTAGES of this broken heart; as I. A broken heart is acceptable and wellpleasing to God, "A broken and a contrite heart, O God thou wilt not despise." Psalms 51:17. II. It makes up many defects in your service and duties, "The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit." Psalms 51:17. III. It makes the soul a fit receptacle for God to dwell in, "For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones." Isaiah 57:15. IV. It brings God near to men, "The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart, and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit." Psalms 34:18. And V. It lays you open to Christ's sweet healing, "I will bind up that which was broken, and will strengthen that which was sick." Ezekiel 34:16. And, oh, who would not be broken that they might find Christ's soft hand healing them, and find the proof of that sweet word, "For I will restore health unto thee, and I will heal thee of thy wounds, saith the Lord." Jeremiah 30:17. Yea, VI. It puts you in the right road to heaven, where all your wounds and bruises will be cured; for there is a tree Revelation 22:2 the leaves whereof are for the healing of the nations; there is no complaining there of wounds or bruises, but all are perfectly healed. John Spalding, in "Synaxis Sacra, or a Collection of Sermons, " etc., 1703.
Ver. 18. "The Lord is nigh unto them, "etc. We are apt to overlook men, in proportion as they are humbled beneath us; God regards them in that proportion. Vessels of honour are made of that clay which is "broken" into the smallest parts. George Horne.
Ver. 18. Broken heart...contrite spirit. Oh, this is the misery of all miseries which ministers have most cause to complain of, that men are not fitted enough for Jesus Christ, they are not lost enough in themselves for a Saviour. "In thee the fatherless findeth mercy." Hosea 14:3. Were we more hopeless, helpless, and fatherless, we should find more mercy from the hand of Jesus Christ. O that God would awaken and shake some sin sleeping soul this day! O that this doctrine thus opened might be as a thunderbolt to let some of you see the inside of yourselves! O poor sinner, thou hast an unsupportable burden of sin and guilt lying on thy soul, ready to press thee down to hell, and yet you feel it not; thou hast the wrath of God hanging over thy head by the twined thread of a short life, which it may be thou mayest not be free from one year, nay, perhaps not one month, but thou seest it not; if thou didst but see it, then thou wouldest cry out as he did in Bosworth field, "A horse! a horse! a kingdom for a horse!" So thou wouldest cry out, None but Christ! nothing but Christ! ten thousand worlds for Christ! James Nalton, 1664.
Ver. 18. A contrite spirit. (xwr-yakd), dakkeey ruach, "the beaten out spirit." In both words the hammer is necessarily implied; in breaking to pieces the ore first, and then plating out the metal when it has been separated from the ore. This will call to the reader's remembrance Jeremiah 23:29, "Is not my word like as a fire?" saith the Lord: and like a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces? The breaking to shivers, and the beating out are metaphorical expressions: so are the hammer and the rock. What the large hammer struck on a rock by a powerful hand would do, so does the word of the Lord when struck on the sinner's heart by the power of the Holy Spirit. The broken heart, and the contrite spirit, are two essential characteristics of true repentance. Adam Clarke.
The image I selected at the top seems especially appropriate, reading some of these commentators quoted by Spurgeon. True repentance means that we have a broken heart because of our sin and are humble and contrite before God. Being contrite means that we are broken apart, like being crushed with a hammer. Sometimes the troubles of this world break our hearts, too. Thinking of Jesus and His compassion and suffering should give us the focus we need in the temporary trials of this mortal life.
God is not distant and imperious; He is close and loving and has compassion on us in our grief and turmoil. From Gotquestions.org, here are the ways God comes to us in our grief (this is awesome):
1. He offers comfort. The apostle Paul is not a stranger to suffering, pain, and persecution. In 2 Corinthians 11:24–28, we get a glimpse of what life was like for the apostle. It certainly was not the American Dream:
Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was pelted with stones, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my fellow Jews, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false believers. I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches.
Paul’s suffering is more than many people will ever experience, yet at the beginning of the same letter is a doxology that shows what must have helped Paul go through the difficulties: “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God” (2 Corinthians 1:3–4).
There are many ways God comforts us. He gives the “peace that surpasses all understanding” (Philippians 4:7). He reminds us of His promises in Scripture. He moves through the people around us. This is why we should continually fellowship with God and other followers of Jesus. The cliché “no man is an island” applies to the Christian faith. Fellow believers can offer resources, advice, a listening ear, and shoulders to lean on.
Furthermore, God is sovereign over everything that happens to us—good or bad (Romans 8:28). This pushes us to rest in His wisdom, even when we don’t understand.
Other passages that talk about God’s comfort include Deuteronomy 31:6, Psalm 23:4, Isaiah 41:10, Matthew 5:4, and Hebrews 13:5–6.
2. He delivers us. Besides offering comfort, God can also show us a way out of the situation. In the Lord’s Prayer, we’re instructed to say, “Deliver us from the evil one” (Matthew 6:13). Jesus wouldn’t have included this part of the prayer if it weren’t necessary.
This doesn’t mean God is a genie and we can rub the lamp (à la Aladdin) to escape all suffering. God’s perspective is different from ours, and sometimes He lets us go through particularly difficult situations. We don’t always know why this happens, but there are good reasons.
For the non-Christian, suffering is a wake-up call and a reminder that this world doesn’t satisfy (Ecclesiastes 1:2). For the Christian, suffering is a means by which God sanctifies us to become more like Jesus (Romans 5:1–5; Philippians 1:29; 1 Peter 4:12–16).
That being said, God is also our deliverer, both in this life and the next. We can be reassured that God at times does take trouble away from people; when He doesn’t, we can trust that He has a better plan.
3. He walks us through suffering. The evergreen poem “Footprints in the Sand” comes to mind. God carries us through the suffering while trimming out sin in us so we will be “conformed to the image of Christ” (Romans 8:29).
It is worth noting that Christianity doesn’t promise a life void of suffering. A trouble-free life is the promise of prosperity preachers and the view of some Eastern religions, but that’s not what we get in the Bible. Jesus promised His followers that “in this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).
Paul also told Timothy that “everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted” (2 Timothy 3:12).
Even the incarnate Son of God didn’t have all His wishes met here on earth. When the ordeal in front of Him seemed too much, He entrusted Himself to the Father’s will and was comforted (Matthew 26:36–46; Mark 14:32–41; Luke 22:40–46). This should serve as a good example and an encouragement in our trials. God understands our weaknesses, and both the Son and the Holy Spirit intercede for us (Romans 8:26–27, 34; Hebrews 4:15; 7:25; 1 John 2:1).
4. He remains faithful. Finally, God remains near to the brokenhearted by being faithful, even if we struggle with remaining faithful to Him (2 Timothy 2:13; Hebrews 10:23; 1 Thessalonians 5:23–24). Just as He remained faithful to Israel in their times of rebellion, He remains faithful to His people today. God never abandons those He calls His own.
God is our compassionate comforter and deliverer. Even when we don’t feel Him near, His promises remain unchanging. We should pray for help during times of trouble while trusting in His goodness. We should also be willing to comfort the brokenhearted around us. God comforts us so we can extend that comfort to others (2 Corinthians 1:4).
Keep these words close to your heart! I think it is important to be open to the suffering of others around us, too and be close to them and comfort them in their grief. By opening our eyes to others and what they are suffering, our own problems may dim into insignificance. We are currently finishing up a tour to see some of the sites of significant battles during WWII for the 101st Airborne paratroopers. Whenever I start to complain of trivialities (like a few problems in the hotel room or an early morning departure for the day’s tour or even my blurry eyesight) I think back to those young men who fought for the liberation of Europe and our freedom and how so many young lives were lost on those battlefields. We have also learned in many places about the sacrifices of those who worked in resistance movements. The self-absorbed whining about petty grievances in this amazingly comfortable age that we live in is maddening by comparison.
Here is the Enduring Word commentary for this essential verse:
The LORD is near to those who have a broken heart: This teaching from David was wonderful for the men at the cave at Adullam to hear. They – being in debt, distressed, and discontent – were likely those with a broken heart and a contrite spirit. They were objects of God’s favor and salvation, not His scorn.
“Those whose spirits are oppressed, and even broken, with the greatness of their calamities…. Those whose hearts or spirits are truly and deeply humbled under the hand of God.” (Matthew Poole)
“A bird with a broken wing, an animal with a broken leg, a woman with a broken heart, a man with a broken purpose in life – these seem to drop out of the main current of life into shadow. They go apart to suffer and droop. The busy rush of life goes on without them. But God draws nigh.” (F. B. Meyer)
“Broken hearts think God is far away, when he is really most near to them; their eyes are holden so that they see not their best friend. Indeed, he is with them, and in them, but they know it not.” (Charles Spurgeon)
A contrite spirit: “‘The beaten-out spirit’…the hammer is necessarily implied; in breaking to pieces the ore first, and then plating out the metal when it has been separated from the ore.” (Adam Clarke)
God draws nigh to those who are broken-hearted. Seek Him through His Word and contrite prayer!
My next devotional examines Psalm 34:19 - Many are the afflictions of the righteous.
Heaven on Wheels Daily Prayer:
Dear Lord - I seek You in all circumstances - in joy, in grief, in abundance, and in suffering. You are my rock and salvation, an ever-present help! Amen.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Precept Austin was accessed on 09/15/2025 to review commentary for Psalm 34: 18.
Gotquestions.org was accessed on 09/15/2025 to answer the question, How is God close to the brokenhearted? © COPYRIGHT 2002-2025 GOT QUESTIONS MINISTRIES. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Enduring Word commentary by David Guzik is used with written permission. Minor formatting changes have been made to improve readability.
Beautiful verse and beautiful message thank you, Barb❤️