He Heals The Brokenhearted

HE HEALS THE BROKENHEARTED

a prayer to open

Here’s my heart, Lord. Speak what is true.

Here’s my life, Lord. Speak what is true.

Praise the LORD!

How good to sing praises to our God!

How delightful and how fitting!

The LORD is rebuilding Jerusalem

and bringing the exiles back to Israel.

He heals the brokenhearted

and bandages their wounds.

He counts the stars

and calls them all by name.

How great is our Lord! His power is absolute!

His understanding is beyond comprehension!

The LORD supports the humble,

but he brings the wicked down into the dust.

Sing out your thanks to the LORD;

sing praises to our God with a harp.

He covers the heavens with clouds,

provides rain for the earth,

and makes the grass grow in mountain pastures.

He gives food to the wild animals

and feeds the young ravens when they cry.

He takes no pleasure in the strength of a horse

or in human might.

No, the LORD’s delight is in those who fear him,

those who put their hope in his unfailing love.

Glorify the LORD, O Jerusalem!

Praise your God, O Zion!

For he has strengthened the bars of your gates

and blessed your children within your walls.

He sends peace across your nation

and satisfies your hunger with the finest wheat.

He sends his orders to the world—

how swiftly his word flies!

He sends the snow like white wool;

he scatters frost upon the ground like ashes.

He hurls the hail like stones.

Who can stand against his freezing cold?

Then, at his command, it all melts.

He sends his winds, and the ice thaws.

He has revealed his words to Jacob,

his decrees and regulations to Israel.

He has not done this for any other nation;

they do not know his regulations.

Praise the LORD!

As a whole, the Psalms reveal God’s love and concern for the hurting: the oppressed, the lonely, the disconnected, the imprisoned. God draws close to, heals, and seeks to restore and connect brokenhearted people to himself and to community. We all have experienced a broken heart in one way or another, and we all likely know someone whose heart has been broken recently. In this psalm, we are assured that it is to these very people—those with broken hearts and wounded souls—that God directs his healing and care. How might our lives be shaped by the assurance of his healing and nearness when we are hurting?

• Read this passage again slowly. What word or phrase stands out to you? Why do you think that word or phrase speaks to you? What does it say?
• How do you sense God inviting you to participate in the healing of someone who is brokenhearted?
• What would it look like to turn over the hurting parts of your heart to God for healing? What is one step you could take?

Lord, my heart—including the whole parts, broken parts, hurting parts, healed parts—is yours. I give it to you and ask you to piece it together so it aligns with who you are and who you made me to be. Come close to me and allow me to know your healing. Use me in this world—so full of brokenness, goodness, pain, and beauty—to help heal, build up, and lavish grace so that everyone I encounter will come to know you. Amen.