Six Ways God Blesses a Broken Heart
By Rick Warren
“The Lord is close to the brokenhearted, and he saves those whose spirits have been crushed.” (Psalm 34:18 NCV).
Every one of us will experience loss. So how does God heal your broken heart? You don’t get over a loss. You can’t go under it; you can’t go around it. You’ve got to go through the grief. And if you’re scared to express emotion and refuse to go through it, that’s where you get stuck.
But how do you get unstuck? You let God help you. Here are six ways God blesses a broken heart.
1. God draws you close to himself.
Psalm 34:18 says, “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted, and he saves those whose spirits have been crushed” (NCV). When you grieve, you often feel like God is a million miles away. But what you feel and what is real are not always the same thing. God’s not a million miles away. In fact, he’s never been any closer.
2. God grieves with you.
The Bible says Jesus was “a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief” (Isaiah 53:3 NLT). When you come to Jesus with your grief, he knows what you’re talking about, and he understands your pain. God is a suffering God, and he is a sympathetic God. He’s not aloof; he’s not apathetic. He’s not standing on the sidelines.
3. God gives you a church family for support.
We’re meant to grieve in community. Healing comes in groups. Healing comes in the church. Healing comes in community. We’re better together!
“In Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others . . . Be devoted to each other like a loving family . . . Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn” (Romans 12:5, 10, 15 NIV/GW).
4. God uses grief to help you grow.
God uses grief and even pain to help you become more like Christ, and he does it in three ways.
First, God uses pain to get your attention (Proverbs 20:30). Second, he brings good out of bad (Romans 8:28). Third, he prepares you for eternity (2 Corinthians 4:17-18).
5. God gives you the hope of heaven.
There are many people who grieve without hope. Your life on this earth is short, but if you believe in Jesus Christ and trust him for your salvation, then you have the hope of spending eternity in heaven with God, and that hope will sustain you through your time of loss. The Bible says in 1 Thessalonians 4:13, “We don’t want you to be ignorant about those who have died. We don’t want you to grieve like other people who have no hope” (GW).
6. God uses your pain to help others.
This is called redemptive pain; it is the highest and best use of the pain you go through. God does not want you to waste a hurt. “[God] comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us” (2 Corinthians 1:4 NLT).
PLAY today’s audio teaching from Pastor Rick >>
For more Daily Hope with Rick Warren, please visit pastorrick.com!
Transformed Complete Audio Series
Get Transformed this year!
Do you want to experience a real transformation from the inside out? Then you have to spend time listening to God’s word. That’s why we compiled the Transformed Complete Audio collection.
These eight messages from Pastor Rick Warren are sure to help you draw closer to God so you can experience the abundant life he designed you to live.
You’ll hear messages including . . .
• Setting Personal Goals by Faith
• How to Get Closer to God
• From Stressed to Blessed
• Change Your Life by Changing Your Mind
• How to Deal With How You Feel
• Facing the Fears That Ruin Relationships
• Transforming How I See and Use Money
• Facing Giants in Life and Work
The complete Transformed audio series is our gift to thank you for your financial support of Daily Hope, so please request it when you give below.
This collection is perfect for your audio library or to share with a friend or family member.
Thank you for your generosity to help more people learn, love, and live God’s Word!
This devotional © 2018 by Rick Warren. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
You can listen to Rick Warren on OnePlace.com.
