The Lord is close to the brokenhearted Psalm 34:18
As children we likely sought the presence of our parents for protection or comfort. I remember crawling up into a lap or clinging to a leg if we were in an unfamiliar situation. I didn’t ask that they take any particular action; in fact, I was too young to have even known what to ask. It was enough just to be near. Even as adults, there is power in community, in being together. There are particular people that bring a sense of assurance or calm just being in their presence.
I was able to sit with my friend in her final days. There was nothing I could do to change the outcome but I could be with her as she asked. Our Jewish friends have a tradition of sitting with people who grieve. It’s called shiva. Guests are not allowed to speak unless the grieving person initiates it. Sitting with someone shows a connectedness, a desire to enter in to their experience. The value is in just being present.
It is of greatest comfort that God chooses to sit with us when we allow Him in. His willingness to be with us shows His connectedness to us, His desire to enter in to our experience. He is not helpless in our situation, but His presence is always the greater gift than any action we might seek. He brings the ultimate comfort and peace that surpasses all understanding.
My tendency is to want to do, to fix something. It can be hard to just be. In my relationship with God, do I always want Him to do? Am I always looking for an action or a fix? I need to learn to relish my time to be with Him. Sitting together is powerful. And we have a loving God that literally moved heaven and earth to be with us.
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
