He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. (Psalm 147:3 NKJV)

When my husband lost his brother, he almost died from broken heart syndrome. One night, He woke me up, unable to breathe. I called 911, and the EMT’s gave him oxygen as they drove us to the hospital.

He had suffered flash congestive heart failure. He described his diet of fast-food during his brother’s hospitalization to the doctor, who told us about broken heart syndrome.

My husband never grieved his brother’s death properly. He made funeral arrangements and helped his mom. The two of them mourned in very distinct ways. She wanted to empty the house of reminders of her son. My husband wasn’t ready to go through his belongings yet.

We mourn because we’ve loved someone worth mourning.

Psalm 147 was written after Nehemiah rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem. The exiled Jews returned to their beloved city and found their homes broken down. Everything needed to be rebuilt.  Their hearts ached when they saw the ruins of their homeland. The restoration weighed them down spiritually and physically.

The Lord heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. The verbs heals and binds connote a continual action, not your one-and-done fix. Each day, God heals and binds up hearts shattered by loss.  We see the tender compassion of God for His people. He performed heart surgery on hearts wounded by the sorrows of devastation.

My husband recovered with meds and some lifestyle changes. God became his heart surgent too.

Friend, death has surrounded us with a dark cloud. Its long-reaching tentacles stretch to affect everyone. We long to escape the tears and sadness, but we can’t. Grief plays an important role in our healing. We must take time to grieve in our own ways. It doesn’t help to put on a smile and pretend everything is great.

While we grieve, we have the assurance that God cares about our aching hearts. He binds up the emptiness left by the death of someone we loved. His healing touch mends our broken hearts together. Just like any surgery, we need a recovery time. But one morning, we will begin to see glimpses of joy.

Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning. (Psalm 30:5b NKJ)

Look for God’s comfort today. He knows our pain. Allow Him to hold you while you cry.

Heavenly Father, thank You for Your compassion towards the broken hearted and grieving. Surround me with Your special comfort and help me heal and feel Your joy once again. Amen.

DIG DEEPER

Read John 11:35.

Jesus wept.

HIKING THE TRAIL

How does it help you to grieve knowing that Jesus has experienced grief too?

RELATED RESOURCE

Through October 2021, you can purchase any book in the shop and receive a gift: Overcoming the Overwhelming: Walking in Victorious Faith When You Don’t Feel Victorious will automatically added to your shipment. Valid only through October 2021. Shop here.

Originally posted on October 18, 2021 @ 3:13 am