Christmas Belongs to the Brokenhearted

It’s easy to look around during the holidays and see joy everywhere. Christmas music plays wherever we go, decorations fill our streets, and neighborhood homes glow with lights. I even see cars driving by adorned with wreaths and ornaments.

I love the white twinkly lights of Christmas. I love the glow of the tree in a dimly lit room, a fire crackling nearby, hot chocolate in my favorite mug, and snuggling on the couch with my family. I love Christmas movies, family gatherings, and the spirit of the season. For many of us, it truly is a special time of year.

But for me—and for many others—Christmas can also be incredibly hard.

When we’re walking through sickness, divorce, job loss, grief, or the death of someone we love, Christmas doesn’t feel the way it once did. The joy we remember from past seasons can feel distant or unreachable. Even when we go through the motions of our traditions, something feels different. It’s hard to feel joy when your heart is hurting, even when joy surrounds you.

Tonight’s Scripture reminds us of something deeply comforting: Jesus is with us in our pain. This is why He came. Christmas is not reserved for the cheerful or the put-together. It belongs to the brokenhearted.

When King David wrote Psalm 34, he was not celebrating a victory. He was fleeing for his life, hiding from King Saul among the Philistines—the very people whose champion, Goliath, he had defeated. When recognized, David pretended to be insane to avoid death. He escaped and hid in a cave—rejected, afraid, humiliated, and utterly alone.

Psalm 34 was written from that cave. From fear. From crushing despair.

Yet the psalm becomes a testimony of God’s faithfulness. David declares, “I sought the Lord, and He answered me.” And he proclaims with confidence that “the Lord is close to the brokenhearted.”

God heard David’s cries, and He hears ours. He is present in the silent moments, the angry prayers, the tears that soak our pillows. When it feels like we’re alone in the cave of suffering, God is closer than we realize.

In Hebrew, the word close means near, intimate, at hand. And saves means to deliver, to rescue, to bring victory. God doesn’t just comfort shattered hearts—He draws near to them and brings restoration in His perfect timing.

This Christmas, let us remember that the season isn’t about perfection. It’s about presence. Emmanuel means “God with us”—not only with the joyful, but with the weary, the grieving, and the brokenhearted. Your pain does not disqualify you from Christmas joy; it is the very reason Jesus came.

He is holding you. He sees your pain. And He is with you—now and always.

TONIGHT’S SCRIPTURE

“The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.”
— Psalm 34:18

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YOUR NIGHTLY PRAYER

Dear Heavenly Father,
Thank You for sending Your Son, Jesus, to meet me in my brokenness and pain. Thank You for being with me when my heart aches and for carrying me through moments I cannot face on my own. Help me rest in Your presence this Christmas and feel the comfort of knowing You are here with me now. Thank You for the gift of Jesus—His birth, His sacrifice, and the hope He brings. Teach me to find peace in Your presence and joy in Your promises, even when life hurts. Thank You for holding me, loving me, and never letting me go.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen.

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THREE THINGS TO PONDER UPON

1. How is God showing you that He is with you in this season? Where can you sense His presence?

2. What pain, disappointment, or loss are you carrying into Christmas? How might Jesus be inviting you to release it

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:02):
Life Audio. Thank you for tuning in to your nightly Prayer,
a podcast designed to help you rest and connect with
your Father in heaven as the day ends. God is
ready to meet you in this moment of peace. As
you settle into sleep. After this short word from our sponsor,

(00:24):
we'll encounter tonight's devotional Christmas Belongs to the broken Hearted,
written by Shanna Foster and read by your host, Brooke McLoughlin.

(00:45):
Tonight's scripture the Lord is close to the broken hearted
and saves those who are Chrustian Spirit Psal. I'm thirty
four eighteen something to ponder. It's easy to look around
us during the holly and see all of the joy
of the season. We hear Christmas music everywhere we go,

(01:06):
and we get to see the beautiful decorations all around us.
Our neighborhood streets are glowing, and I even see cars
driving down the road decorated with ornaments, wreaths and lights.
I love the white, twinkly lights of Christmas. I love
the magic of Christmas trees glowing in the dimly lit evenings,
and a fire crackling hot chocolate and my favorite Christmas

(01:29):
mug and snuggling on the couch with my family. I
love family coming together. I love Christmas movies and especially
the spirit of the season. It's such a special time
of year for most of us. For me and I
know for many others, Christmas can be a very tough time. Unfortunately,
Christmas just doesn't feel the same when we're walking through

(01:51):
a really hard season of life. When sickness, divorce, the
loss of a loved one, or a job happens, Christmas
just doesn't have the same joy for us that we've
experienced in years past. All of these things can make
Christmas feel not quite like we think it should be.
It's so hard to feel joy even when we're surrounded

(02:13):
by it, especially when we're still going through the motions
of all of our holiday traditions. It's just not the
way we know it should be and used to be.
Our verse for tonight reminds us that even when our
Christmas season is filled with pain and suffering, brokenness and sorrow,
Jesus is with us. This is why he came. Even

(02:36):
though we aren't feeling the joy of the season, we
can rest in him because he didn't come for the
perfect He came for us the broken hearted. When King
David wrote Psalm thirty four. He was on the run
from King Saul and hiding among the Philistines, who were
the very people that David had killed their champion Goliath.

(02:59):
When the Philistines recognized David, he pretended to be insane
so that they wouldn't kill him. He escaped and hid
in the cave, rejected, alone, humiliated, and terrified. You could
definitely say that this wasn't a winning season for David. Rather,

(03:19):
this was one of his lowest moments. This psalm was
written from a place of being crushed and in fear.
This entire psalm is a testimony that God heard his
cries and delivered him to victory, just like he does
for us. This is David's testimony of I sought the

(03:39):
Lord and he answered to the assurance that the Lord
is close to the broken hearted, our faithful father in heaven.
Hears our cries just as David testifies, and he is
near to us in every moment of our pain and suffering.
He is with us in every silent moment, every yell

(04:01):
out in anger moment, and every tear that soaks our
pillows moment when it feels like we are alone in
the cave of our suffering and brokenness. It is in
those moments that the Lord is so very near. In Hebrew,
the word close means near, intimate at hand, and the

(04:22):
word saves means to deliver, give victory, or make safe.
So our verse tonight is telling us that God draws
intimately near to those whose hearts are shattered, and he
doesn't just comfort, he rescues us and will deliver victory.
When we are feeling less joy than we want in

(04:43):
this hard season, Let's make sure we take time away
to be in the presence and fullness of God's love
this Christmas season. Let us remember that Christmas isn't about
the perfection of what we thought it should be, but
more about the perfection of His presence in helping us
get through it. Immanuel means God with us. That doesn't

(05:07):
mean only those who are joyful. It means even with
those who are crushed, the weary, and the ones who
can hardly make it through the season. God is holding
you right here. He knows your pain and suffering. Your
hurt and heartbreak don't disqualify you from Christmas joy. It's

(05:28):
proof of why Jesus came. He is and always will
be with you, please remember to always set aside time
to be with him and bask in his presence. Your
nightly prayer. Dear Heavenly Father, thank you so much for
sending your son Jesus to meet me in my brokenness

(05:50):
and pain. Thank you for being with me when my
heart aches, and for carrying me through the moments I
can't face on my own. Help me to rest in
your presence this Christmas and to feel the comfort of
knowing you are here with me now. Thank you for
the gift of Jesus, for his birth, his sacrifice, and

(06:12):
the hope and joy he brings to my life. Teach
me to find peace in your presence and joy in
your promises even when things in life hurt. Thank you
for holding me, loving me, and never letting me go.
In Jesus's name, Amen. Three things to meditate upon. Number one,

(06:35):
how is God showing you that He is with you
in this season? Where can you sense his presence? Two?
What pain, disappointment or loss are you carrying into the
Christmas season? How is Jesus inviting you to release it
and rest in His healing presence? And number three, how

(06:57):
can you make space to experience his peace and receive
even small amounts of joy this Christmas, not because everything
is perfect, but because He is with you. Thank you
for listening to your Nightly Prayer, a production of the
Life Audio Network. If you found comfort and inspiration in

(07:19):
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