Over the last few weeks, we’ve spent a lot of time looking at the wisdom literature of the Old Testament. In this wisdom literature, the Bible repeatedly tells us that what is happening in our “inner life” has more bearing on our happiness and fulfillment than what is happening to our external lives.

 We’ve seen that expressed in Proverbs: 

14 The human spirit can endure in sickness, but a crushed spirit who can bear? Proverbs 18:14 NIV

 Notice that the Bible’s term for emotional unhealth is: “a crushed spirit.” So if you have a crushed spirit, you have a broken heart OR a wounded soul, OR a toxic “inner-life” for one reason or another. 

 As Proverbs 15 points out:

13 A happy heart makes the face cheerful, but heartache crushes the spirit. Proverbs 15:13 NIV

 Over the last several weeks, we’ve been looking at all the emotions and feelings that can cause a crushed spirit: stress, anxiety, depression, overwhelm, burnout, grief, and many others. But in this message which concludes our series, Pastor Bryan points to our hope. We will point to God’s promise for a crushed spirit, to the Bible’s path toward healing.