THE CRUSHED
PSALM 34:18 (CEB)
The Lord is close to the brokenhearted;
he saves those whose spirits are crushed.
2 CORINTHIANS 1:5 (MSG)
We have plenty of hard times that come from following the Messiah, but no more so than the good times of his healing comfort—we get a full measure of that, too.
SUMMARY SENTENCE
God is there for us when we feel crushed.
PRAYER
Compassionate God, thank you for being there for us in our times of need. I admit that I get overly discouraged and am unable to recognize your presence. Open my eyes. Comfort me through my times of misery. I'm going to move forward with hope. Amen.
TRANSLATIONS
ABP = Authorized Boydston Paraphrase — my own freestyle biblical adaptation — somewhere between paraphrase, commentary, and sermon
CEB = Common English Bible (©2011, the Common English Bible)
CEV = Contemporary English Version (©1995, American Bible Society)
MSG = The Message (©1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson)
NIRV = New International Reader's Version (©1996, 1998, Biblica)
NIV = New International Version (©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011, Biblica)
NLT = New Living Translation (©1996, 2004, 2007, 2013, Tyndale House Foundation)
