HEALING FOR A BROKEN SPIRIT
Shattered and scattered
Broken pieces on the floor
Is there any hope?
Have you ever felt that way in your life – broken without any hope? I’m sure most of us have had times of depression and despair, some more than others. Life can sometimes feel overwhelming with all the trials and struggles, and any number of issues can cause it. Often, we forget to take our burdens to God, or we might wonder if it will really do any good. I’m here to tell you that there is healing for a broken spirit with examples from the Bible and my own life. God does hear and answer prayer, though not always in the way we expect.
HANNAH’S BROKEN SPIRIT AND DEEP DESIRE
Remember Hannah, the mother of Samuel, who deeply desired a child but was unable to conceive? Let’s look at a bit of her story found in 1 Samuel 1. You may want to read the whole story on your own.
While she continued praying in the Lord’s presence, Eli watched her mouth. Hannah was praying silently, and though her lips were moving, her voice could not be heard. Eli thought she was drunk and said to her, “How long are you going to be drunk? Get rid of your wine!”
“No, my lord,” Hannah replied. “I am a woman with a broken heart. I haven’t had any wine or beer; I’ve been pouring out my heart before the Lord. Don’t think of me as a wicked woman; I’ve been praying from the depth of my anguish and resentment.”
Eli responded, “Go in peace, and may the God of Israel grant the request you’ve made of him.” “May your servant find favor with you,” she replied.
Then Hannah went on her way; she ate and no longer looked despondent.
(1 Samuel 1:12-18)
As we continue reading in that chapter, we see that God answered Hannah’s prayer.
After some time, Hannah conceived and gave birth to a son. She named him Samuel, because she said, “I requested him from the Lord.”
(1 Samuel 1:29)
DAVID’S SIN, REPENTANCE AND RESTORATION
You do not want a sacrifice, or I would give it;
(Psalm 51:16-17)
you are not pleased with a burnt offering.
The sacrifice pleasing to God is a broken spirit.
You will not despise a broken and humbled heart, God.
The above was penned by David after he was confronted by the prophet, Nathan, about his sin. The whole psalm is a beautiful prayer of David acknowledging his sin and asking God to purify and restore him. If we are in despair, weighed down by our sin, there is hope.
David saw that all his sacrifices and offerings didn’t mean anything to God unless he was truly repentant of his sin. We can go through the motions, but until we experience the brokenness of spirit over our sins, we won’t realize the great gift of forgiveness and restoration.
HEALING OF A BROKEN SPIRIT IN GRIEF
In my own life, I have experienced comfort and healing after losing my firstborn son a little over 3 years ago. Before that, whenever I saw that someone had lost a child, I wondered to myself how anyone could face it. Then it happened to me. God used some of those mothers who lost a child to bring comfort to me. I knew they understood exactly what I was going through.
Even more than the comfort of friends was the comfort I received from God as I spent time in the Psalms, which are full of lament. Every day I read from Psalms, meditated on the passage, then wrote my own haiku and/or prayer. That practice was healing for me. It reminded me that God saw, understood and cared.
The psalm that I was scheduled to read the morning after my son’s death was Psalm 16. God already knew what I would need. Here is my journal page from that day’s reading:
The comfort I received didn’t minimize or take away the grief from my loss, but it reminded me that God would be with me through my pain. Here’s a journal page from a few days later:
The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears, and rescues them from all their troubles.
(Psalm 34:17-18)
The Lord is near the brokenhearted; he saves those crushed in spirit.
This is Day 2 of #write28days with the word, broken, as a prompt.
Dear Gayl, thank you for sharing with us from the depths of your heart. The comfort that God gave to you in your brokenness is such an encouragement to me. And I rejoice with you now that your dear Stephen is whole and complete with our Lord. Hugs and love to you dear friend.
Dear Bettie, I am so glad that you were encouraged. God’s comfort is very real and how I wish everyone could understand that. Blessings and love to you, sweet sister! xoxo
This fills my heart with pain and my soul with encouragement at the same time. Your words serve as such a witness to those you share them with. Thank you for your willingness to share your sorrow and how God was there in it with you.
Oh, Cindy, your words really touch me. I’m so glad you were encouraged even while there is pain. God is like that. We can have joy and sorrow at the same time. Thank you for being here. Blessings to you! xo
Oh Gayl, I’m so sorry for the loss that you’ve suffered. Sharing the healing and comfort you’ve received from the Lord is so generous and will be an encouragement to many, I know.
Thank you, Kym. I’m glad I can share with others the comfort and love I have from God. May He bless and encourage all who read. Blessings to you!
I am so sorry for your loss. May God continue to pour balm into your broken places.
Thank you, Amy. God’s grace is sufficient and the comfort comes. I don’t know where I’d be without His love and mercy and His presence continually with me even if I don’t always notice. Blessings to you!
I’m so sorry about the loss of your son, Gayl. I love how you’ve turned your grief into a source of comfort for others! Your journal is visually beautiful and the content even more. Hugs!
Thank you, Corinne! Yes, with the comfort God has given me, I want to comfort others, too. Blessings to you, sweet friend! xo
So beautiful. So precious how God had that verse waiting for you. Only He could show up like that. I so love that verse. It became so precious to me after my Mama died. But then God brought an even more beautiful understanding of it for me, as He showed me that we have died with Christ – and so we are all already in that verse. We have died so that Christ now lives and breathes in us, into eternity and that is so valuable, so precious in the Lord’s sight.
And so we cannot bring any sacrifices pleasing to the Lord in and of ourselves. But praise God it’s no longer we who live but Christ in us and through us and we shall see that His sacrifice is more than sufficient. We shall watch in awe as He unfolds Himself, not in our doing or sacrifice, but all in His beautiful all-sufficient sacrifice at work in us, through us and for us.
Praise Him for His incredible nearness to each one of us in our brokenness and need. Thank You, Jesus, for dying on that Cross to take our unworthy sacrifice and serving and turning it into beautiful free will, wholehearted worship overflowing in Your bountiful grace!
Thank you, Anna! God’s comfort has been so precious to me. No one can ever convince me that God is not real or that He’s not interested in us. I truly believe that God had that scripture for me at just the right time. I certainly couldn’t have planned it that way.
Yes, He is with us in our brokenness and His comfort is real. Praise His Holy Name!
Blessings and love to you! xoxo