Whom the Lord Delivers (Psalm 34:17-18)
- Rachel Coyle
- 12m
- 3 min read
When the righteous cry for help, the LORD hears and delivers them out of all their troubles. ¹⁸The LORD is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit. Psalm 34:17-18
I’ve had two study Bibles over the last 24 years. I reluctantly replaced the first when the pages of Genesis began falling out. In both Bibles, Psalm 34 is well marked up. Scribbled in the margin are numerous dates, indicating particular times of difficulty in my life: miscarriage, deployment, serious illness, living in spiritually dry environments, loneliness, regret, and more. We all have stories of the troubles that we face. Some are large, others small, but they are all very real. What do you do when trouble threatens to harm you? Psalm 34 fills us with hope.
A pattern emerges in verse 17, echoing verses 4 and 6: in the midst of fear or trouble, the righteous cry to the Lord and He hears and delivers. The promise that the Lord hears and delivers isn’t for just anyone. It’s for the righteous. Scripture is clear that we cannot achieve righteousness apart from Christ (Galatians 2:16, Philippians 3:9; 2 Corinthians 5:21). That was true at the time this psalm was written as much as it is today. This promise has always been a gift given to those who look to the Savior. David looked forward to Jesus’ coming, even as we look back to it and forward to His return.
If you are in Christ, you can be certain of this: when you’re in trouble, if you cry to the Lord for help, He will hear and He will deliver. That doesn’t mean, however, that we’re exempt from trouble in this life. We know this from our experience. In fact, Psalm 34 assumes that the righteous will have trouble on this earth. How then can David, who penned this psalm, claim that the Lord delivers the righteous “out of all their troubles”?
Ultimately, we will be delivered from all trouble when we are with the Lord in Heaven. Until then, we experience deliverance as God gives us the strength to endure and not be overcome by those troubles. When I cried to the Lord during the circumstances marked on the pages of my Bible, He didn’t rescue me by changing the situation or taking me out of it. He rescued me from the threat that those circumstances would beat my faith down. Our trials won’t defeat us when we cry to God for help.
Verse 18 gives us great comfort: When we are brokenhearted, the Lord is not far-off, but close by. In Hebrew, brokenhearted is two words: shabar, meaning shattered, and leb, a word that defines the center of our thoughts, feelings, will, beliefs, and desires. The troubles and trials of life humble us. They reveal that we are not in control. They show us our need for the Lord’s help and strength. Be comforted, knowing that in those moments, when your emotions lie about how God has abandoned you, the very opposite is true: He is near. Not only that, but also He “saves the crushed in spirit.” We know that the requirement for eternal salvation is the humility, brokenness, and repentance the word crushed speaks of in Hebrew. But when our spirit is crushed from trouble or grief, God continues to save us in the sense we’ve already looked at in verse 17: He rescues us from being overcome by our circumstances.
Whenever I dive into Psalm 34 during difficult times, He is faithful to deliver. The difficulty is still there, but it no longer threatens to overcome me. Suffering becomes a catalyst that drives me to the Lord. In times of trouble, cry to Him. He is near, He hears, and He delivers.
For Reflection
1. In times of trouble, are you quick to cry to the Lord for help, or do you turn to other people or things for help or escape?
2. How does it encourage you to know that even though your troubling circumstances may not change, God delivers and saves in the midst of it?
3. Thank God that He hears your cries and He is near when you are brokenhearted.
Rachel Coyle is a biblical counselor, Bible teacher, and author of Help! She's Struggling with Pornography from Shepherd’s Press. She and her husband Philip have six children. Scripture memory plays a pivotal role in their parenting and homeschooling as they sing, write, and discuss the meaning and application of passages together. The Coyles live in South Carolina where they're members of Boiling Springs First Baptist Church.