To The broken hearted, the afflicted, and the distressed;

Dear LORD be near and mend the broken hearted in this world;

Psalms 34:18 The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.

Psalms 147:3 He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds.

Comfort the afflicted merciful Father whose "Spirit of Comfort" brings restoration of peace, renewal of love, resurgence of joy, and revival of hope;

Psalms 23:4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

Psalms 119:76 Let, I pray thee, thy merciful kindness be for my comfort, according to thy word unto thy servant.

2 Corinthians 1:3 Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort;

2 Corinthians 1:4 Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.

Isaiah 49:13 Sing, O heavens; and be joyful, O earth; and break forth into singing, O mountains: for the LORD hath comforted his people, and will have mercy upon his afflicted.

Matthew 5:4 Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.

John 14:16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;

Hear O'LORD the cries of the distressed and dry their tears, forget not the humble, and deliver the righteous from their troubles; turn death to life, sorrow to joy, cries to happiness, and bring healing where there is pain;

Psalms 9:12 When he maketh inquisition for blood, he remembereth them: he forgetteth not the cry of the humble.

Psalms 18:6 In my distress I called upon the LORD, and cried unto my God: he heard my voice out of his temple, and my cry came before him, even into his ears.

Psalms 34:15 The eyes of the LORD are upon the righteous, and his ears are open unto their cry.

Psalms 34:17 The righteous cry, and the LORD heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles.

Psalms 40:1 I waited patiently for the LORD; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry.

Psalms 55:17 Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and he shall hear my voice.

Psalms 89:26 He shall cry unto me, Thou art my father, my God, and the rock of my salvation.

Psalms 106:44 Nevertheless he regarded their affliction, when he heard their cry:

Psalms 107:19 Then they cry unto the LORD in their trouble, and he saveth them out of their distresses.

Psalms 107:28 Then they cry unto the LORD in their trouble, and he bringeth them out of their distresses.

Psalms 145:19 He will fulfil the desire of them that fear him: he also will hear their cry, and will save them.

Psalms 3:4 I cried unto the LORD with my voice, and he heard me out of his holy hill. Selah.

Psalms 18:6 In my distress I called upon the LORD, and cried unto my God: he heard my voice out of his temple, and my cry came before him, even into his ears.

Psalms 88:1 O lord God of my salvation, I have cried day and night before thee:

Galatians 4:6 And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.

Revelation 21:4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.

You indeed are nearer than near loving God; We trust You and we thank You for the wonderful works You have done; You are true to us and You give us, through faith, understanding of the Truth of Your Word;

Psalms 73:28 But it is good for me to draw near to God: I have put my trust in the Lord GOD, that I may declare all thy works.

Psalms 75:1 Unto thee, O God, do we give thanks, unto thee do we give thanks: for that thy name is near thy wondrous works declare.

Psalms 119:151 Thou art near, O LORD; and all thy commandments are truth.

Psalms 119:169 Let my cry come near before thee, O LORD: give me understanding according to thy word.

Hebrews 10:22 Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.

Who else but You "Victorious GOD" can wipe away every teardrop that falls, bottle them up in Your book of life "which contains Your Words of life written in Your lifeblood", and change them into rivers of living waters with sparkles of joy;

Psalms 56:8 Thou tellest my wanderings: put thou my tears into thy bottle: are they not in thy book?

Psalms 126:5 They that sow in tears shall reap in joy.

Isaiah 25:8 He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the rebuke of his people shall he take away from off all the earth: for the LORD hath spoken it.

Revelation 7:17 For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.

Revelation 21:4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.

A long, most excellent, story made short from one of the sixty six love letters GOD has written to us (read it if you haven't or reread it if the LORD leads you to do so) ;

Job 1:21 And said, Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither: the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.

Job 42:10 And the LORD turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends: also the LORD gave Job twice as much as he had before.

Remember that the LORD is the giver of every good and perfect gift, the greatest of which is the LORD Himself. May His loving presence and His grace alone be sufficient for us, even if it seems all else is lost. If the time to say goodbye has come or gone, or if our beloved has departed from this world without time enough to say goodbye, remember that the gain for the departed, who have a living love for GOD and His people, is not only two fold, but it is as infinite in goodness and wonder as He is. Lets have our joy in Him always, give thanks for what He's given even if it was for a brief period of time, and pray without ceasing. He is there, He is near, and He sustains us no matter what happens to us or may befall us.

Dwell on the words from a few stanzas found in the song "Jesus! What a Friend for Sinners"; And, may God bless you, be merciful to you and make His face shine on you in whatever situation you may face;

Words: John Wilbur Chapman, 1910.

Music: "Hyfrydol," Rowland Hugh Prichard, 1830 (MIDI, score).

"A friend of tax collectors and sinners." Luke 7:34

Je-sus! What a help in sor-row! While the bil-lows o'er me roll, E-ven when my heart is break-ing, He, my com-fort, helps my soul.

Hal-le-lu-jah! What a Sav-ior! Hal-le-lu-jah! What a friend!

Sav-ing, help-ing, keep-ing, lov-ing, He is with me to the end.

Je-sus! What a guide and keep-er! While the tem-pest still is high, Storms a-bout me, night o-er-takes me, He, my pi-lot, hears my cry.

Hal-le-lu-jah! What a Sav-ior! Hal-le-lu-jah! What a friend!

Sav-ing, help-ing, keep-ing, lov-ing, He is with me to the end.

Je-sus! I do now re-ceive Him, More than all in Him I find, He hath grant-ed me for-give-ness, I am His, and He is mine.

Hal-le-lu-jah! What a Sav-ior! Hal-le-lu-jah! What a friend!

Sav-ing, help-ing, keep-ing, lov-ing, He is with me to the end.