To Heal the Brokenhearted
Part of the anointing on Jesus was to heal the brokenhearted. See Luke 4:18-19. I will point out in passing that the word brokenhearted here means bruised or shattered, and it would rightfully apply to `physical healing as well as emotional healing. Because Jesus is the same today, it is still part of His ministry to heal the brokenhearted. This is consistent with Psalm 147:3, where this ministry is shown to be part of what God does. God raises up those who are cast down (Psalm 145:14, Psalm 146:8).
We are majoring on physical healing here, but you should know that emotional healing is part of God’s plan for you, too. You cannot “confess away” grief, but you can let God minister to you so that it does not overwhelm you. 2 Corinthians 7:10 says, “The sorrow of the world worketh death.” You do not have to be crushed by tragedy in your life and have death work in you.
Grieving over the loss of a loved one is not a sin! If that kind of sorrow is sin, Jesus was a sinner. He wept before He raised Lazarus. He got alone after hearing about the execution of John the Baptist. Jesus went through emotional agony in Gethsemane. Having negative emotions is not a sin and does not mean that you are not a “faith person.” Jesus was a “faith person” if anyone ever was, and He had to decide to act based on God’s Word instead of what His human body wanted. Since He had that struggle, so will you.
There is actually very little you can do about your emotions. Having emotions is part of being human. You can’t stop them from happening. What you can do is determine that you will not allow your emotions to dictate what you will do! You can act based on God’s Word even when your emotions are running contrary to it and still get results. Having victory does not mean that you always feel victorious. It means that you don’t give up even when you feel like quitting, which you will at times. Such feelings are part of life and how you respond to them determines whether you go down in defeat or press on to victory.
God comforts the downcast (2 Corinthians 7:6). He comforts you in all your tribulation (2 Corinthians 1:3-4). The Holy Spirit is called “another Comforter” (John 14:16), showing that this is part of Jesus’ ministry to you as well as the Holy Spirit’s ministry to you. You should note that the word used actually denotes more than mere comfort, but also advocacy, as a lawyer would do. The believers in Acts walked in the comfort of the Holy Spirit (Acts 9:31), so you can, too.
God will help you through the hard times. Since man is mortal, we will lose loved ones at various times. Expect God to comfort you and heal your broken heart. That is part of His ministry to you. Be open to it.
Because God comforts you in all your tribulation, there is no such thing as a tribulation during which God will not comfort you. No loss of a loved one, betrayal by someone close to you, divorce, financial disaster or anything else is outside God’s ability to provide you with divine consolation. Even situations that at first make you wonder if life is still worth living are included in His promises. His “everlasting arms” are always there for you (Deuteronomy 33:27).
His divine consolation is also available for pastors who have been lied about, backstabbed and had people leave the church for ridiculous reasons. If that’s you, accept His comfort and don’t think that God is just telling you to suck it up and cope with the emotional hurt on your own.
His divine consolation is also available to people who have been hurt by pastors and churches. The fact that a “person of God” wronged you does not disqualify you from divine comfort.
Many physical issues are tied to emotional ones, so physical healing will sometimes come only after emotional healing. It is hard to stay physically healthy when you feel crushed emotionally. Thus, allowing God to comfort you as only He can is important not only for your emotions but for your physical well-being. It’s all included in the awesome salvation package the Jesus provided for you.