Has your heart ever been broken? I’m not talking here about romance—the usual cause of a “broken heart.” I’m talking about the crushing wounds in life from which we all struggle to recover. It may be one incident, or it could be many.
Maybe you have repressed the memory of those hurts. Maybe you have given up hope that healing could ever come. My sense as I write is that the Lord wants to say to all of us, “The time for healing has come.” May this letter help in that process!
One of Jesus’ Main Purposes
For many years, I have been profoundly impacted by Jesus’ announcement at the synagogue in Nazareth. The record of Luke 4:16–30 makes it clear that when Jesus stepped up that morning to read, He very deliberately selected a specific Messianic passage from the scroll of the prophet Isaiah that was handed to Him. The section Jesus chose (what we know as Isaiah 61) specifically outlined what the Messiah would accomplish: “The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted” (verse 18, NKJV).
The first task listed for the Messiah after the preaching of the Gospel was the healing of the brokenhearted. Many other passages affirm the Lord’s deep concern for hearts that have been torn up by the rigors of life. Psalm 147:3 says: “He [the Lord] heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.” In Psalm 34:18, David promises: “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; He rescues those whose spirits are crushed” (NLT).
Jesus Knew Heartbreak
Jesus not only healed heartbreak; He experienced the depths of this emotion Himself. One of the Messianic passages, Isaiah 53:3, tells us that our Lord Jesus would be “…despised and rejected by men, a Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.” He was no stranger to the heart injury you and I have suffered. In another Messianic verse, the Suffering Servant confesses: “Reproach has broken my heart, and I am full of heaviness; I looked for someone to take pity, but there was none; and for comforters, but I found none” (Psalm 69:20).
When Jesus took a few of His disciples to pray with Him at Gethsemane, these were His words: “My soul is crushed with grief to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me” (Matthew 26:38, nlt). Heightening His heartbreak, the disciples fell asleep instead of standing with Jesus in His time of agony.
What’s more, it is commonly held that Jesus actually died on the cross of a broken heart. When the Roman soldier pierced His side with a lance (John 19:34), the blood and water that poured out were proof positive that the heart of Jesus had ripped apart in the process of crucifixion. Our loving Savior knew what it was like to have a broken heart. And that’s why He can help us deal with that same condition.
Life Beats Us Up
Brokenheartedness is a reality we have to face in this life. It happens. I watched one of the people nearest and dearest to me struggle with a wounded heart over the awful betrayal of a friend. The injury was never truly “bound up” and healed, and that dear one died with—or from—a broken heart.
Few hearts in modern, stressful society are safe from such attacks. Sadly, some of our worst wounds come from fellow Christians. Jesus warned us that in these pressured end times, we would see many disturbing events, including “…men’s hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth.” Those aggressive, invasive, abusive conditions take their toll on your heart.
An article in the European Journal of Heart Failure caught my attention because of its title: “Did Jesus die of a ‘broken heart’?” Discussing our stressful times, the author says, “During the last decade, a strange syndrome of extensive reversible cardiac dysfunction precipitated by acute emotional or physical stress has been increasingly recognized. The syndrome has various names, including stress-induced cardiomyopathy (SIC)…. In some patients, SIC may lead literally to heart rupture (and death).” The stark reality of brokenheartedness!
Now let’s focus on the healing the Messiah can bring to us.
Derek’s Unique Perspective
Derek Prince taught eloquently on principles related to healing for broken hearts. Here is what he said in the book, Declaring God’s Word:
In Psalm 147:2–3, we read, “The Lord builds up Jerusalem; he gathers the exiles of Israel. He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds” (NIV). Those are beautiful words, but the most exciting thing about them is that they are being fulfilled in this generation, in our lifetime. I have seen the outworking of those words living in Jewish Jerusalem in May 1948, when the State of Israel was reborn after two thousand years. Today, the Lord is building up Jerusalem. He is gathering the exiles of Israel. He is healing the brokenhearted and binding up their wounds.
That is good news for all who will turn to God. It is good news for God’s people, Israel. It is also good news for the church of Jesus Christ because the same God who is gathering Israel is gathering the church back to Himself, bringing us into our inheritance, healing our wounds, and binding up our broken hearts.
There is an ongoing ministry of the Holy Spirit that is very special—a ministry to the brokenhearted. It is a ministry to those whose hearts are wounded. If you carry a wound inside you, turn to God and say, “God, this is a time of restoration. It is a time of regathering. You are healing the brokenhearted. You are binding up their wounds. Lord, You know the wound I have carried so long in my heart. Will You heal me?”
And the invisible finger of God, the Holy Spirit, will reach down where no surgeon can reach and touch that wounded place in your life to bring you healing and restoration.
Time for His Healing
Do you believe that the Lord, by His Holy Spirit, can touch any broken area of your heart? Do you want to respond as Derek directed? The time has come for us to place our hearts in the Lord’s capable hands, and according to Isaiah 42:3, we can be assured of His tenderness: “A bruised reed He will not break, and smoking flax He will not quench.” Jesus knows how to bring the healing we so desperately need.
Are you ready to ask for it now? If so, please pray the following prayer with me:
Dear Jesus, I come to You with a heart which has been wounded by the stresses and attacks of life. I have experienced some specific incidents of injury that need Your healing touch. [If certain events come to mind, take a few moments to be specific as you pray.] Please, Lord, come into these secret, injured places of my heart and bring Your complete healing and restoration.
I affirm that You are the one sent by the Father to heal the brokenhearted. You are fully able to heal every injury to my heart and soul, no matter how severe. I place my heart in Your hands for healing and strengthening as You prepare me for Your future plans for me.
One more matter, Lord. Rather than hardening my heart against any possible future wounds, I choose instead to soften my heart before You. I trust You, Lord Jesus, and I proclaim the promise in Philippians 4:7: that You will guard my heart and my mind by the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding.
Thank You, Lord, for healing my broken heart.
Moving Forward
This may be one of those God-appointed moments in your life when the Lord provides a breakthrough that changes things forever. We encourage you to move confidently from this point onward, knowing that the Lord has fulfilled His promise to heal and restore your heart and soul. As a result of what you have prayed, you can depend upon Him to move in your life in even more dynamic ways than He has in the past.
We hope you will allow us to partner with you in that process. Our greatest joy is to provide encouragement for you in the form of materials, prayer support and personal contact. Along those lines, please make sure to download our free offer, an amazing message by Derek called “Healing for Wounded Soldiers.” It is solid teaching on the topic covered in this letter that will add a significant component to the step you have already taken. We are happy to make it available to you.
Partnering Together
Do you know how grateful we are to be connected with you? We thank the Lord for you—for your prayers for us, your generous financial support, and your regular communication with us. We truly could not do this work without your help. It is your friendship and support that enable us to extend the teaching legacy of Derek Prince to people throughout the United States and around the world.
Thank you again for all that you do. Please keep us informed about the progress you are making as you follow the Lord in wholeness and freedom.
Isn’t it wonderful to know that your heart is safe in the hands of Jesus? What a great joy to be walking together, serving Jesus our Messiah, the one sent from the Father to heal the brokenhearted!
All the best,
Dick Leggatt
President, DPM - USA
P.S. Please stay in touch with us. We love to hear from you, especially with testimonies of what the Lord is doing in your life. Don’t forget to download Derek’s message, “Healing for Wounded Soldiers.” We know it will augment the process you have begun today.
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