“He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.” — Psalm 147:3
What becomes of the brokenhearted?
The lyrics to that old song are haunting.1 They speak of broken dreams, disillusion, and confusion.
A broken heart is a wound to the soul. Loss, betrayal, misunderstandings, and fear of the unknown can affect you so deeply that you feel a pain in your chest and wonder how you will bear it. Sometimes we grieve for another’s sorrow or pain and make it our own.
What becomes of the brokenhearted? Too many cover their hurt with false bravado or phony optimism. They numb their pain with busy work, drugs, drink, entertainment…whatever works for a while. Temporary band-aids for a wound that needs deep cleansing and healing.
When brokenhearted people allow God’s Holy Spirit into their hearts, He promises to tend and heal their wounds.
Does this happen in a second? Do the pain and the problems disappear at the utterance of a prayer? Not usually.
Notice that the Scripture above promises healing and binding. The binding process is like caring for a physical trauma. Recognizing the wound, understanding the cause, cleansing, and eradicating infection are crucial.
God does the same work in our hearts. No quick band-aids and temporary pain relief. Rather, a deep, life-changing work of the Holy Spirit which drives us closer to God, our Great Physician.
He will take us to the foot of the cross, where His blood was poured out for the sins that inflict such pain and heartache upon the world. He will expose our wounds, root out the causes and cleanse us from the infection of bitterness and sin. His Comforter, the Holy Spirit, will hold our hands, reminding us, “all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28)!
And then, blessed relief! His promises are true. And from the depths of our tender and healing heart, He can now begin to manifest the attributes of His Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience and all the gifts God wants us to have.
What becomes of the brokenhearted? In God’s kingdom, ultimately, good things.
1.What Becomes of the Brokenhearted, written by William Weatherspoon, Paul Riser, and James Dean, recorded at Hitsville USA, 1966.
