“He heals the brokenhearted.” Psalm 147:3 NKJV.
The worst pain you can feel is internal, rather than external.
My thoughts and comments today are about “matters of the heart.”
Life can be tough sometimes. In a friendship, you might “put yourself out there,” only to be hurt and pull back. People should be fair and kind, but not everyone will be. Opportunity should be equal but isn’t every time. The world should be a safe and loving place, but isn’t always. At different times, you might be disappointed, misunderstood, wrongly blamed, overlooked, excluded, or wrongly accused. The cumulative effect of even small, hurtful experiences can leave your heart heavy.
Still, your heart can feel as did David, “I would have lost heart, unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord . . He will strengthen your heart. Wait on the Lord.” Psalm 27:13-14 NKJV. I observe that hurting people hurt people. Don’t be surprised or disillusioned when that occurs. People don’t always mean to hurt others; they may inflict pain out of their own hurt, not always aware they are doing so, and often hurting those closest to them.
All pain is not physical; there is also mental, emotional, relational, and spiritual pain. In fact, I think the latter ones are where pain is felt most keenly. You will never shield yourself from all pain, nor should you try; it can be a friend, not an enemy. Pain signals you are hurt but still alive, can feel, and still care. A person tired of hurting, may cope by shutting down all feelings, but feeling nothing is not better than feeling pain.
When you are hurting, you need someone who understands and stays alongside while you heal. Deal with your pain; it doesn’t just go away. Don’t isolate yourself; Christian community is healing. Don’t neglect spiritual practices; they are avenues of healing. You will heal, but you will hurt while you do so. That’s where and when friendships deepen and strengthen. You are a more effective healer when you remember your own pain. Experience produces compassion. There is One who feels your pain and heals your pain. The psalmist David sang, “It is good to sing praises to our God . . He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.” Psalm 147:1/3 NKJV.
The worst pain is not external; it’s internal. A wound of the heart is the more painful, healing slower than other kinds. But that’s exactly where God specializes – the healing of broken hearts. Isaiah prophesied of the consummate Healer, “A man of sorrows, acquainted with grief . . surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows . . the chastisement of our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed.” Isaiah 53:3-5 NKJV.
What a true and wondrous promise from a compassionate Savior. Isaiah voiced the prophecy of Messiah and Jesus Himself affirmed Isaiah’s words as describing His own ministry, “The Sovereign Lord . . has sent Me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives . . to comfort all who mourn and bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.” Isaiah 61:1-3 NIV/See also Luke 4:18-19 NKJV. Jesus knows how to mend a broken heart, but first you have to trust your heart into His hands.
My prayer for you today is that your heart will abide safe in His strong hands.