“The Lord is near the brokenhearted…” — Psalm 34:18
Advent is not a season that requires cheerfulness. It is a season that welcomes the brokenhearted.
Before the angels sang, before the shepherds rejoiced, there was a young couple far from home, a birth in poverty, and a world aching under the weight of sorrow.
The first Advent happened in a landscape of pain – not despite it, but inside it.
The manger is proof that God is not embarrassed by our grief.
He draws near to it.
He sits with us in it.
He bears it with us.
“There is no pit so deep that God’s love is not deeper still.” — Corrie ten Boom, The Hiding Place
Jesus’ entrance into the world is God declaring: “I will not leave you alone in your hurt.”
If your heart feels cracked or fragile, you are not disqualified from Advent joy. You are precisely the kind of person Jesus came near to — the weary, the wounded, the worn out, the ones who cannot pretend everything is fine.
Advent hope is not fragile. It stands steady even in tears — because God’s presence is not dependent on the condition of our hearts, but the compassion of His.
Reflection: Where do you need the nearness of Christ to meet you in your pain today?
Prayer: Lord, draw near to me in the places that ache. Let Your presence be my comfort and Your compassion be my strength. Meet me in my brokenness with the gentleness and nearness of Christ. Amen.
When God Came Near 