Broken Hearts & Wounded Spirits

I don’t know about you, but there are times when God feels a million miles away from me. My prayers seem to ricochet off the walls, mocking me.

Pain throbs unceasingly, depression deepens and emotions turn dark. 

While I know He’s there, somewhere in the recesses of my brain, a little voice says, “Even if He is there, He’s not listening.”

Thus, my brokenness seems to go unnoticed. 

No matter how bleak and cold those tombs feel, though, truth is most times it’s only a matter of time before my prayers are answered. Sometimes God responds in ways fully monumental, while other times the answer is very elemental. Either way, the help I need DOES come; it’s just a matter of when.

Meanwhile, I wait…

And wait…

And wait some more.

Yup, Tom Petty nailed it when he sang, “The waiting is the hardest part.”

Well, I have good news…

Psalm 147:3 says, “He heals those who have broken hearts. He binds up their wounds.”

Now, that in and of itself is awesome, but as a reminder of God’s sheer POWER, and just so we understand exactly WHO it is that heals our broken heart and binds our wounds, the Psalmist goes on to say the following in the same chapter:

“He decides how many stars there should be. He gives each one of them a name. (Verse 4)”

So how many stars are we talking about, here? Well, according to the European Space Agency, “Astronomers estimate there are about 100 thousand million stars in the Milky Way alone.” (https://www.esa.int/ESA)

And the Lord knows ‘em all because He named ’em, jack.

Continuing on with examples of God’s immense force:

“He covers the sky with clouds. He supplies the earth with rain. He makes grass grow on the hills. He provides food for the cattle. He provides for the young ravens when they cry out. (Verses 8 & 9)”

Awesome. Just amazing. It’s hard for the human mind to grasp this stuff, so at times you have to take your time and break it off in segments. That’s sorta what I’m doing here, to help it sink in. 

“He spreads the snow like wool. He scatters the frost like ashes (Note from Author: “Frost Like Ashes” is also an awesome Christian black metal band). He throws down his hail like pebbles. No one can stand his icy blast. He gives his command, and the ice melts. He stirs up his winds, and the waters flow. (Verses 16-18)”

This same God who controls the elements, names the stars, and literally has the entire universe in the palm of His mighty hand, can surely heal your broken heart and bind your wounds.

He can help you traverse the bleak paths of depression.

He can help to calm the anxiety-riddled brain.

He can heal the broken heart, AND the broken body.

He can bandage your wounds.

I know things may seem really bad right now, and for some, the natural inclination would be to quit, but you can’t do that. Not only is your eternal soul at stake, but life is simply too beautiful to waste.

In the grand scheme of eternity, the ugliness lasts but a second.

“We may weep through the night, but at daybreak it will turn into shouts of ecstatic joy. (Psalm 30:5b)”

Yes, joy comes in the morning, even though this “night” may sometimes last weeks, months or even years.

You can’t give up. Not today.

I KNOW you can make it. I have no doubt.

I know life gets hard, but try and go forth today with these mighty promises in mind!