God Heals the Broken-Hearted
This weekend we celebrate Valentine’s Day with hearts and flowers and chocolate! It’s a celebration of love. So what do broken hearts have to do with this day? For those who have lost a loved one or are still searching for that special someone, all the talk of love can leave them feeling sad, alone and broken-hearted. But hope prevails for our God heals the broken-hearted.
What Does It Mean to be Broken-Hearted?
Traditionally the heart has been considered the source of love. While modern science recognizes the brain has more to do with love than the heart, this concept prevails with good reason. Those who have experienced the loss of love, whether through a painful break-up or the death of a loved one, often experience pain or heaviness in their chest. Their heart feels torn in two.
The early Israelite community knew this painful experience, as evidenced by passages in the Psalms and elsewhere.
God’s Response
How does our God respond to such situations? He lifts us up and restores our spirit.
In Psalm 147, one of the many reasons for praising God is that God heals the broken-hearted. “God heals the broken-hearted and binds up their wounds.” (3)
Psalm 38:19 also states that God heals the broken-hearted. “The Lord is close to the broken-hearted; and those who are crushed in spirit he saves.”
Psalm 146:8 states, “The Lord raises up those that were bowed down.”
In Isaiah 61, the prophet speaks of the coming of a time of restoration, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me. He has sent me to bring glad tidings to the lowly, to heal the broken-hearted.” (1) Part of the prophet’s mission was to heal the broken-hearted. Jesus recites part of this passage in Luke 4:18-19 as he proclaims his mission.
How Does God Heal the Broken-Hearted?
Sometimes God heals broken relationships, restoring marriages on the verge of divorce, healing couples in ways only God can. In the case of the loss of a loved one through death, God doesn’t restore the prior relationship, but he brings us into a new relationship with the one we’ve lost, healing us as we grieve.
Most often God’s healing takes the form of an inner shift in our thinking and a change of attitude. God gives us a new heart, a healed heart. We come to an awareness that could only come from God.
If you are feeling downhearted and discouraged because of a business failure or some other failure, God restores your spirit by giving you a new perspective on your loss. If the source of your pain is a personal failure or sin on your part, God offers forgiveness.
In Psalm 51, King David is bowed down, humbled and broken-hearted over his sinfulness. He prays for forgiveness and that God might restore his spirit. “A clean heart create for me, O God, and a steadfast spirit renew within me.” (12) Forgiveness is one way God heals the broken-hearted.
How do you know this healing is from God? Because only God heals so thoroughly, healing places you didn’t even know hurt. God heals in unexpected ways.
Praise God Who Heals the Broken-Hearted
The above are all reasons for us to praise our God.
Whether you are feeling down, discouraged and broken-hearted because of the loss of a relationship, loss of employment or health, or one of the many other challenges life has put in your path, God has a remedy. Bring your disappointments and despair to God.
And then respond in praise. It’s hard to remain down when praising God for blessings.
Are you feeling down and broken-hearted? How might you turn these over to God? Is something keeping you from doing this? Would you like me to pray for you? Email me, patricia@patriciamrobertson.com or, if comfortable, include your prayer request in comments. A burden shared is a burned eased.
This post is part of a series of blog posts on the Psalms. Sign up to follow this blog and and receive a free copy of Still Dancing the second book in my Dancing through Life Series. click here to sign up
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