Has your heart been troubled? Have you been in a place of grief or despair or crying out to the Lord?
Has your heart been troubled? Have you been in a place of grief or despair or crying out to the Lord? I've definitely been on my knees before the Lord many times, not just crying, but truly wailing, like those Hannah moments of just wailing out to God. Sometimes, we look around and feel like there's nowhere to run in the tangible fleshly element of our world. Is God really there to mend our broken hearts? I want to provide a couple of quick references that I know will help heal your heart wherever it is.
Maybe it's past trauma. Maybe you're still grieving from a loss. Maybe you're walking through something really heavy right now. Regardless of where I find you, I know Jesus can be there with you right now in the tangible. I pray that His Holy Spirit would just give you that cloak of presence, that peace that transcends all understanding, that comfort that wraps around you, and give you some tangible understanding of what has happened and what can happen when you rely fully on the Lord.
Can Jesus Really Heal Our Broken Hearts?
In scripture, there are so many reference points that can help you understand how God can heal the brokenhearted. It starts in Genesis. The specific one I want to share today is around John 14:1, which says,
“Do not let your hearts be troubled.”
Trust in God. Trust also in me. This is Jesus speaking, obviously.
“In my Father's house, there are many rooms. And if it were not so, I would have told you I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me, that you also will be where I am.
You know the way to the place where I am going. And I think about that. We just want to get away.”
We just want to whisk away. We just want to go into a quiet, dark room sometimes. And we just want to get rid of all the pain, all the grief. Well, let me assure you that Jesus is where you are, even in the dark spaces, the chasms that you might find yourself in, and the valleys. We know that as we walk through the valley of the shadow of death, there he is. And even on the mountaintops, there he is.
How Can We Hear from God?
There is no coincidence in the kingdom. There is an amazing book that I would reference you to by Squire Rushnell, “When God Winks at You.” It's about God winks, which I had been talking about for years until somebody sent me this book because they thought that's where I had derived the concept from. But it wasn't. When I was a little girl, my dad would wink across the room even though there were a ton of people there. And that moment when my father winked at me, I felt fully seen, fully known, fully understood, and fully loved.
I believe that God does that for us as his daughters daily. He provides, "God winks."
God speaks to us through His Word, His creation, and prayerful moments. Sometimes, God sends someone to your side, someone with a prophetic voice, a word of knowledge, or maybe just a shoulder to cry on, someone to comfort you in a time of need. So look not only to your Father but also to your Father's people who are coming to your side.
What Are Some Ways to Pause and Remember God Is with Us?
Some practical ways you can have life breathed into you are prayer, fasting, obviously running to the word of God, journaling, and waiting. Sometimes, you just need to wait on the Lord to respond in this time of heartbreak and heartache, not understanding and being in God's face, sometimes angrily. He is okay with your emotions. He has something to do with you in those ways because he wants to develop your character, and he also wants to display his character to you. He's a loving father. He is our comforter. He is our Elroy. He's the God who sees.
Other ways to breathe practical life into this area in times of heartache are to play, find a hobby, find enjoyment, and spend time with children. That's one of my favorite ways to get that laughter, that natural oxytocin that God has gifted us the ability to latch onto in a healthy way. Of course, sometimes it's just getting outside. Again, the serotonin levels will increase in this space. God has divinely created us so that our bodies, minds, spirits, and souls will be integrated. If we get off the couch of complaint and start walking into the freedom and calling of what God has put on our lives, even amidst what can be hard, I can assure you he's going to show up in that obedience. Another thing is to practice communion. That's a memorial. That's a remembrance of what he did for us on the cross. Also, to be in communion, to be in community, to commune and break bread with friends and people that can hold space for the area that you're in, the time, and the season in which you're in. You've got to let people in, friend. I know it's hard, but I promise it'll be worth it.
There are people you can trust whom God has entrusted to help you. The last one I would say is to rest, not to try to hurry your way out of a predicament, but to rest in the father's loving arms. There are so many more scriptures, some of which are included below.
Jesus provides peace. You're not alone. You're fully seen and fully loved, and you have hope in this healing.
Photo Credit: SWN Design/Photo used with permission.
Tamra Andress is a 6x #1 Best Selling Author (5 books, 2 forewords), International Speaker, Top .3% Globally Seasoned Podcaster in spiritual and business categories (The Messenger Movement Podcast), and a recognized thought-leader in Spiritual Entrepreneurship. She is an Ordained Minister in the Marketplace and spends her time speaking, coaching, and hosting events. Her time is spent serving as the founder and lead visionary for F.I.T. in Faith Media & F.I.T. Press Publishing House, a business and broadcasting company focused on podcasting, publishing, and platform development - ultimately selling words!
She’s also the President of The Founder Collective non-profit, which serves as a collaboration zone for other faith-driven entrepreneurs to be discipled, equipped, and commune through weekly gatherings and an annual conference with sights on an integrated faith and business collision school - this is the mobilized church. All of her initiatives are centralized to catalyze faith-filled leaders into messengers with movements so that they can broadcast Truth and advance the Kingdom. She and her husband and two children reside in Virginia Beach, VA, but you’ll likely see them traveling the globe in their bathing suits! Check her out on Instagram and Facebook.
Originally published Friday, 07 June 2024.
