Bruised

“The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.” — Psalm 34:18 (KJV)

Sibbes begins by talking about what it means to be bruised. He does not mean just having a bad day. He means the moments when life knocks us down and, as a result, we see ourselves honestly: that we are not as strong, good or in control as we thought.

Sibbes believed God sometimes allows these hard moments to bring us home. He compares it to the prodigal son in Jesus’ story, who only “came to himself” when he was broke and hungry in a far country. “We love to wander from ourselves,” Sibbes says, “and to be strangers at home,” until something brings us up short.

One of his best examples is Peter. Before Jesus was arrested, Peter boasted: even if everyone else leaves you, I won’t. A few hours later he had denied knowing Jesus three times, and he went out and wept bitterly. Sibbes says that until then, Peter “had more wind in him than pith.” He was all talk. The bruise made him real.

And here is something that encouraged Sibbes. He says the great heroes of the Bible comfort us less by their brave deeds than by their falls and bruises:

“The heroical deeds of those great worthies do not comfort the church so much, as their falls and bruises do.”

Think about that. When you read about David’s sin, Peter’s denial or Paul’s struggles, you realise you are not the only one. The Bible is full of bruised people whom God did not throw away.

Sibbes also says bruising makes us value Jesus. When you know you need help, the good news is really good news. People who have never felt their need often treat Jesus as a nice extra.

Some things need saying clearly here. Not every hard thing in your life is God punishing you or teaching you a lesson. Sometimes things are just painful, and Jesus weeps with us. And if someone is hurting you, through abuse, bullying or cruelty, that is never God’s “bruising”. That is wrong, and you should tell a trusted adult. God is close to the broken-hearted. He is not the one breaking them.

Sibbes also notices something comforting: some people, “being bred up in the Church”, know God’s kindness “from their childhood” without a dramatic crisis. If that is you, you don’t need to go looking for a bruise. The point is not the bruise. The point is coming home to God.

One thing to do this week: think of a time something went wrong and it made you realise you needed God. Write it down and thank God for how he used it. If something is hurting you right now, tell God about it, and if it involves someone harming you, tell a trusted adult this week.