“He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted” (Luke 4:18 NKJV).
Any idea where the phrase “broken heart” comes from?
It comes from the Bible and is thousands of years old. In Psalm 69:20, David said: “Scorn has broken my heart and has left me helpless” (NIV).
David wrote about it centuries ago, but doctors say it’s a medical reality. When you go through a traumatic event, your brain releases chemicals to deal with it, and some of those chemicals actually weaken the tissue of the heart. It’s called broken heart syndrome.
What causes a broken heart? Here are some of the most common ways our hearts get broken:
- We get disappointed because things don’t turn out as we’ve planned.
- We’re rejected by someone we love or someone we think loves us.
- We resent others by holding on to past hurts.
But here’s some amazing news. It doesn’t matter what you call a broken heart or how you got it; Jesus can help. In fact, in Jesus’ very first sermon, he says it’s one of the reasons he came.
Whether you’ve been let down by disappointment, rejection, or resentment, Jesus came to heal your heart.
Jesus said about the Father, “He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted” (Luke 4:18 NKJV).
If you’ve been hurt, God wants to help. The Bible says in Psalm 147:3, “[God] heals the heartbroken and bandages their wounds” (The Message).
You’re never closer to God than when you’re hurting. He’s here to help.
Will you let him?
Talk It Over
- When you consider the three causes of a broken heart mentioned in today’s devotional, which do you find yourself most susceptible to—and why?
- How have you seen God heal broken hearts?
- What are some ways God can use you to help others heal from a broken heart?
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This devotional © 2019 by Rick Warren. All rights reserved. Used by permission.