Psalm 34:18 “The LORD is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.” ESV

Dust seems very insignificant in life until the wind stirs it up and blows the particles in our eyes. Then we become keenly aware of its presence. It causes frustration and impairs our vision. Until the tiny granules are flushed out with clean water, the dust takes up a prominent yet unwelcome space within us. Little else can be done until the specks are removed from our eyes.

Many of our daily struggles and frustrations are like the dust blowing around impairing our vision to see God clearly. These past 6 months of the pandemic have stirred up a lot of dust. Things that were once inconsequential are now causing soul crushing repercussions.

Being safely at home, for many, has turned to isolation. Once craved alone time has morphed into loneliness. Occasional negative thoughts have spiraled into anxiousness over all the unknowns. And a lack of a foreseeable end has led to hopelessness even among those in the body of Christ.

Perhaps you are feeling the stress of our current crisis and the dust needs to be washed out of your eyes to have your hope and joy restored in Christ. Perhaps you have allowed the dust to settle for too long and are experiencing soul crushing defeat in your spiritual life.

Psalm 34:18 holds a promise for dealing with the dust. The Lord is near to those who have been crushed in spirit. The original word for a contrite or crushed heart is literally powder. It is a word to describe the deep discouragement of a person’s spirit – our breath of life. I believe many of us have been struggling to remove the dust from our eyes, and it has become a hindrance to our well-being and spiritual sight. We scratch at our eyes, complain that we can’t see, and curse the dust. What we need to do is bend low to gently splash His life-giving water over the broken and dust filled places.

For the dust to be removed, we must acknowledge its existence. If we look in the mirror and don’t see evidence of dust and dismiss it as inconsequential, more damage to our eyes could occur. When Psalm 34:18 talks about the Lord being near to the brokenhearted, it is referring to someone that is humbled by their sin and emptied of self. Like the water needed to flush out our eyes, we need the living water to flush out our spirits. God meets us in our discouraged state when we are humble and willing to flush out the frustrations of life. We must bend low.

God desires to meet you in your discouragement and broken places. He promises to save those who humbly seek His way above their own. In any crisis we face, the Lord is there to rescue all that come seeking His help. He is close. He is prepared to help. He is ready to deal with the dust. Will you bend low today?