When You Think No-One Could Heal Your Heart

The other day, I was in a conversation with someone, which made me think. There’s something I want to share in response. So here goes:

Jesus can heal the broken-hearted. Nothing is too hard for Him. He knows us. He made us. He cares about every sigh; every tear. And He is able to heal our hearts, and to restore.

No matter how intricate the problem or how deep the wounds of our hearts. No matter how confusing, or messy, or raw. He can heal, and He does.

If we come to Him on His terms. If we let Him in.

We need to surrender. We need to seek Him for His forgiveness.. turn from wrong… forgive others… let Him in… Let Him be first. We need to let Him to come in; to let Him help us. But oh, how He wants to!

He does it His own way. Sometimes He does it suddenly. Sometimes (perhaps more commonly) He takes time. Or sometimes it’s a bit of both: like waves that come gradually. It will culminate in eternity. It’s not all done here and now. 

But He can, and He does.

We need to do it let Him in, and surrender. He will work.

He is the tender Shepherd. He knows us intimately. And He knows each of His sheep as individuals. No matter how wounded. No matter how broken. The Good Shepherd knows how to heal.

And He knows how to care for us, too, while we are in His hospital. So very, very tenderly. He carries His little lambs close to His heart.

‘He will feed His flock like a shepherd;
He will gather the lambs with His arm,
And carry them in His bosom,
And gently lead those who are with young.’ Isaiah 40:11

I remember being in a season when God was doing a lot of deep work in me. It was painful. I felt raw. I was afraid of things I needed to cope with through the day. I didn’t feel able to cope with much. And a picture came into my mind: a hospital, with clean white beds and a gentle breeze. It was reassuring. I was in God’s hospital. I didn’t need to over-try. He would take care of me. And He did.

He knows us each as individuals. And He knows exactly what we need. It’s not one-size-fits all. That’s why other people’s stories are not the same as yours (although He may well provide people who can help because there are deep similarities). You are unique. And He knows just what you need.

He is so very tender with His little ones. He deals with us each in just the right way. He takes us at a pace we can handle.

He knows just what we need. He knows the intricacies of our hearts. Sometimes we need to cry. His arms are a safe place. Sometimes we need Him to help us access the pain first (like having an operation). Sometimes we need to let Him take us back to the memories, so He can set us free from them as we forgive and He comes and pours in His love. Sometimes we need others to help us, so we are not alone. He can provide them if we ask Him to (and He can heal us up when they hurt us, too, if let Him… if we forgive them). Sometimes we need freedom from demons who are attacking us. He knows about that, too, and nothing is to hard for Him. No power is bigger than Jesus. Sometimes we need conviction of where we are wrong. He will show us, forgive us when we ask Him to, and work to change us from the inside out.

And He can heal, and restore, in ways we just couldn’t imagine.

There are things I used to think I’d never be free from. Now, I find it hard to remember how they used to be a problem. Because He has worked so amazingly, and so well. He is thorough, yes. But He is also very, very kind.

It can take longer than we think. His ways are often not what we expect. But they are so very, very good. Don’t ever underestimate what He can do.

Come to Him. Come to Him in faith.

Just like the lady in Mark 5:25-34, who had tried everything and nothing had worked.

She reached out to Jesus, and He answered her.

In His own way, yes. But He did.

And He interacted with her, too, because healing is not an end in itself.

The end is not healing, but relationship with Him. It’s about knowing Him; loving Him; being loved. Finding the Love we have been looking for all our lives. Living this life from the Father’s arms.

Turning from the idols that let us down, and letting Him be all in all.

He can fill the broken places in our hearts with His love; with His peace; with His joy.

This is a broken world. Our tears don’t all get fixed now. But He shares them with us, if we let Him. He is with us through them all. And He promises to wipe them all away one day, if we follow Him now.

^‘And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.”’ Revelation 21:4

And He can restore… over and above anything we ever expected Him to do.

There are things I look back on now, amazed at what He has done. Hope can spring up from our deepest tears. Restoration can come in ways we never expected. We will look back one day and be amazed… if we let Him in.

There is always hope with Jesus.

Why not ask Him to come in?

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.