The Bench Behind the Church. Psalm 34:18

It had been three weeks since Daniel buried his wife. Forty-eight years of marriage—and now the house was silent. The mornings were the worst. Coffee for one. No humming in the kitchen. Just the haunting echo of a life that used to be. He kept himself busy on the outside, but inside, everything had collapsed. Even prayer felt like a language he had forgotten.

One morning, he got in the car and drove without a plan. He ended up in the parking lot of the small church he and Maria had attended for decades. He hadn’t been back since the funeral. The sanctuary felt too heavy. So instead, he walked around to the back where a wooden bench sat beneath a twisted oak tree—Maria’s favorite spot.

He sat down and broke. The tears came hard. His hands trembled. For the first time since the funeral, he allowed himself to say what he’d been holding in: “I’m not okay.” His voice cracked as he whispered, “Where are You, God? Why does this hurt so much?” There was no lightning. No sudden answer. Just silence. And then, something else—stillness. A peace that didn’t remove the pain but softened its grip.

In that moment, Psalm 34:18 came to mind. “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted…” Maria had quoted that verse often when friends lost loved ones. He never thought it would apply to him. But now, sitting on her favorite bench, with the bark under his hand and the wind brushing his face, he felt it. God wasn’t fixing it. He was sitting in it—with him.

Daniel didn’t leave that bench with a healed heart. But he left with something else: the sense that he wasn’t forgotten. That being crushed in spirit didn’t mean he was crushed alone. From that day on, the bench became his place. Sometimes he’d bring a notepad and write letters to Maria. Other times he’d just sit and listen to the birds, feeling the presence of God in the quiet.

A few weeks later, a younger man from the church approached him. His wife had just left him and taken the kids. “I heard you sit out here sometimes,” he said. “Mind if I join you?” Daniel nodded. They didn’t talk much, but the silence felt shared. And for the first time, Daniel realized—God uses broken hearts to reach others who are breaking.

Now, Daniel keeps a copy of Psalm 34:18 in his wallet. Not because the pain is gone—but because the promise remains. The Lord is close. Even when everything else feels far away. Psalm 34:18 (NIV):

"The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit."