Have you ever had a crushed spirit?

Disappointment. Grief. Pain. Sorrow. Strife. Broken relationships.

One of these alone can weigh us down, but together, they can feel unbearable.

The truth is, a crushed spirit lingers far longer than any physical illness. Medicine can ease pain, but the ache of the heart doesn’t have a prescription. Or does it?

Psalm 34:18 reminds us: “The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” Even when the afflictions of the righteous are many, the Lord delivers us from them all.

We cannot carry a crushed spirit, but God can. He upholds us when we would otherwise break. He sees, He knows, and He promises to be near. His deliverance may not always come immediately, but His presence sustains us until it does.

And we find an even deeper truth: God Himself knows the crushing. He crushed His own Son so that we could be delivered. Jesus endured the most crushing blow of all - the cross - so that we would never be separated from the Father.

Our crushed spirits are not the end of the story. Because of the cross, deliverance is certain. Because of Christ, we never walk alone.

If you’re carrying a crushed spirit today, take heart, God is near, and He daily bears you up.