He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.
Psalm 147:3
Have you ever felt broken? It might be a sudden and significant loss that turns your world upside down. It might be more of a continual stress that eventually leaves you broken. I think back to when my son broke his wrist and we had to figure out how to handle the break.
First, we had to recognize the brokenness. If you have an injury that suddenly swells and leaves you unable to walk or raise your arm you know you have a serious injury and need to seek help. If you lose someone you care about suddenly, you feel an instant, gut wrenching pain. But, if you have ever had a stress fracture this occurs as a part of the body is repeatedly under stress and eventually breaks. Repeated areas of stress in our lives can eventually break us down emotionally. Either way there is brokenness that is in need of healing.
In my son’s case, I gave him Motrin, put him to bed, and hoped he would be better in the morning. Looking from the outside, we could not tell anything was wrong with his wrist. It was not particularly bruised or swollen. Our brokenness can be like this. We know we are hurting, but we do not know how bad it is. We try to talk ourselves out of our hurt saying we will be fine. Sometimes we even self medicate which might make us feel better temporarily but does not heal what has been broken. By the morning after my son’s fall from his scooter, I knew it was time for him to get an x-ray. Our heartache can swell up within us and can similarly stop us in our tracks causing us to feel like we do not know the next move to make. Sometimes that is our first step, to recognize our brokenness.
We can take comfort because we know even then God is with us. As Psalm 147:3 read, “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.” When we break a bone, the first step is a splint to stabilize, and then we rest and take care to not cause further suffering. My son could not run because of the risk of him falling on his wrist. My nine year old boy was forced to take it easy the second week of summer vacation. A broken bone needs time to allow the swelling to go down before the next step. When your heart is broken, this is an important step, too. If we rush to heal from our pain or move on in some way too soon, we are likely to carry the hurt longer and deeper.
When I suddenly lost a dear loved one, I realized I began to try to talk myself out of my pain by telling myself truths that I knew. My loved one was safe with Jesus. My loved one now felt no pain or sorrow. I would be reunited with my loved one one day in eternity. I should not grieve as one who has no hope (1 Thessalonians 4:13). While all of these statements are certainly true and good, they do not take away the pain of being separated. In our attempts to not grieve as those who have no hope of heaven, it can be tempting to think we cannot grieve at all. But God made us. He knows our hearts and our sorrows. Even Jesus wept at the tomb of Lazarus. And just like Martha showed her faith knowing her brother would be raised on the last day, she was hurt and maybe even angry with Jesus as she saw Him come up their path. Grieving is a natural response when you’ve lost something. Maybe someone you loved died, maybe a relationship was severed, or maybe a future you had been planning and imagining was permanently changed.
Allow yourself time to rest while the pain settles and lessens a bit. Surround yourself with a support system like a splint that stabilizes a broken bone. Seek out listening ears, helping hands, and merry meal makers (or bringers-it does not have to be homemade). My best friend was three hours away, but had Dominos delivered, tip included, the night I lost my loved one, all on her phone. It is ok to lean on others while your pain is fresh. Allow the ones you care about to care for you in your time of need. Most importantly lean on God through prayer and His Word. Pour out your pain. He can handle the sadness, the anger, and the hurt. Jesus took all of our pain on Himself on the cross. He came to be the one to bear it.
In the healing process after the swelling subsides, a cast is put on to protect the injury while the body heals. The person does not have to be quite so careful because the hard cast is in place. In my son’s case he could use it again; although, I know this is not always the case. Sometimes people cannot bear weight on the injury for a number of weeks. Every injury is different and recovery looks different for different people. Our emotional brokenness can be like this, too. Some people seem to grieve quickly and move on, while others take longer to process their grief. Our lives start going on while we are still healing from our brokenness. Jesus becomes the strong cast that protects our hearts as we go about our daily lives. Though we are hurting, our faith in God can strengthen us. How does our faith become strong? By consistent prayer, reading His Word, and worshiping with other believers, our faith is strengthened, just as the many layers of gauze, padding, and plaster create a protective cast. I recall as I was grieving that loss how my heart yearned to sit in the sanctuary alone in quiet stillness in the presence of God. We rely on His promises and trust in Him in the midst of our heartache. Slowly our brokenness begins to heal.
Eventually we do heal. The hurt might still flare up, requiring some care. As time goes on and our brokenness turns to healing and healing to strength, we are able to feel like ourselves again. The faith in Jesus that was our hard cast has brought us through and remains in us as we are strengthened in mind and spirit. And this faith in Jesus as our healer is a gift from God to bring us through the difficulties in this life and one day to life everlasting. For the verse says, “He heals the brokenhearted.”
The brokenness is not something we forget. It changes us and God uses even our aches to continue to shape us into who He created us to be. People who have broken bones can usually recall the circumstance and story around their injury. If a broken bone needed metal plates or screws put in place, then you truly will never be the same again. There are hurts that we will remember until God calls us home to Himself.
If you are hurting now, rest in God’s care. If everyday is a challenge to go about doing what is needed but you are doing it trusting in God’s protection, hold on to the sure hope of eternal life. Be assured that even on this earth, God will sustain you and give you peace that passes all understanding as you walk as His healed child.
Dear Jesus our Healer,
We seek you now in the moments of our hurting. When we cannot find the words to say, we know you are with us in our suffering. Protect us as you bind us with your love and faithfulness and grant us healing in your timing. Remind us of your goodness through the faithful brothers and sisters you place in our lives and through your precious promises. Hold us in your care.
Amen.
