08/20/2021
Is your heart broken today, or perhaps you feel crushed emotionally or spiritually by some tragic event? Well, for as much as Satan would like for you to believe that this is a state of mind, heart, and spirit that you will be trapped in forever, and that your strength of faith will be sapped from you, never to return, this is not God’s desire, plan, nor is it His will for you. It should also be the object of all the saints around you to intercede for you in prayer by asking the Lord to bring such seasons in your life to a swift and healthy end.
“He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.”
Psalm 147:3 ESV
Feeling heartbreak, mourning, and dejection are natural occurrences in our lives. Feelings such as loss, sadness, and hopelessness come upon everyone at some point; even to Jesus. It wasn’t out of joy that Jesus wept as He went to raise Lazarus from the dead?
“And he said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to him, “Lord, come and see.” Jesus wept. So the Jews said, “See how he loved him!” But some of them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man also have kept this man from dying?””
John 11:34-37 ESV
This wasn’t a spontaneous flash of emotion that simply came upon Him and then was gone. He continued to be overcome, and scripture specifically tells us this in the very next verse…
“Then Jesus, deeply moved again, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay against it.”
John 11:38 ESV
Feelings, whether they be joy, happiness, love, or some of the less desired ones like sadness, sorrow, or heartbreak, are all natural to us, and come in their appropriate seasons, but the less desired ones are not meant to dominate our lives. Being downcast allows us to deal with loss and the other unpleasant truths and hardships in life. With Adam’s fall, there came certain death, and with death comes mourning. With sin came much sorrow, and grief, but neither of these are meant to destroy us, or keep us permanently from the joy of God.
“The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit. Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all.”
Psalm 34:18-19 ESV
God returns us to joy, peace, and happiness in Him. Jesus was crucified and buried. The disciples wept, and the temple veil was torn, but in three days time, the stone was rolled back, Jesus was raised up, and joy returned. Jesus had gone down into hell to free the souls there, but then he returned, and was eventually lifted up into Heaven where He now sits at the right hand of God. Even in sacrifice comes redemption, life, and the joy that accompanies them.
“But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and behold, he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him. See, I have told you.” So they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples.”
Matthew 28:5-8 ESV
In our seasons of heartbreak, and during those other times of life that crush us emotionally, spiritually, and emotionally, we are not meant to remain lost in them, but to turn to the Lord who will lift up our spirits, remove the weight from our hearts, and return the emotion of His joy to us. Jesus reassured us of this in the beatitudes; listen as He tells us of God’s desire to take away the effects of our human nature and return us to His spiritual peace, joy, and perfection…
““Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.”
Matthew 5:3-4 ESV
So today you might be heartbroken, sad, or distraught, but turn to God in prayer, and seek the intercessory prayers of Jesus, and those around you who will pray in love for God to see you through this time, and to bring it to a swift end… He will most certainly return His joy to you. Take heart, for this season will thus pass, and your heart will be healed by your faith.
Prayer:
Abba, Father, thank you for your joy that comes in like a tide to cover, and wash away, the heartbreak in our lives. Thank you for teaching us in the life of Jesus that feeling this way is natural to man, but is cured by your hand as we come to you in prayer. Help us Lord to have faith in the prayers of Jesus and the Saints as they pray for us in intercession; asking that our seasons of joy, peace, and rest, return swiftly. Open our eyes, and dry every tear as we come to realize that you are with us during our walk through the valley of the shadow of death, and all the other valleys that we pass through in life. Holy, Holy, Holy, are you our God who brings us joy. Praised be your name for every season of heartbreak that we overcome in you. Merciful are you in your comfort when we weep in mourning, and perfect is your healing when we experience seasons of emotional and spiritual pain. Your grace abounds, and through Jesus, who knows what it means to weep, you pour it over us, and bring us eternal joy in it. Wash us in the blood of Christ, and cleanse us of our sins. Lift us up from lives of sinful travail, and restore our righteousness. It is comforting to know that you hear our prayers as we weep, but greater yet are our prayers of thankfulness and joy when we are lifted up, our stone rolled away, and we join you, and Jesus Christ at your Holy Table forevermore.
“Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.”
Philippians 4:5-9 ESV
Rich Forbes