8 Verses For the Brokenhearted (a Guest Post By Autumn Rebecca)

Hello everyone! I must say, I’ve been looking forward to sharing Autumn’s post with you all for a while now. This is so encouraging and full of truth, and I’m thrilled for you to be able to read it! Make sure to check out her lovely blog, Sunshine in the Haze for loads of encouragement, advice, and sunshine, and sign up to her newsletter here.

Tears flowed out of me and my chest hurt. I could feel my heart breaking in half.

It’s no secret that everyone has a story of heartbreak. In a world full of oppression, there’s no way to avoid it. Thankfully, as Christians, we have the remedy for heartache.

Psalms 147:3 (NKJV) says, “[The Lord] heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.” However, amidst the worst of brokenness, this verse seems empty. We find ourselves thinking that nothing could heal our pain.

Whatever circumstances are plaguing you, I challenge you to keep reading. I believe you stumbled upon this little corner of the internet for a reason.

Does God Actually Heal Broken Hearts?

When I first wrote this blog post, I kind of avoided speaking about God’s healing power. I know the pain of a broken heart and how much it stings when someone says, “God can heal this!”

It always feels empty, doesn’t it? The pain runs too deep to accept the cliché sentiment. The words have lost their effect.

For this reason, when I sent my polished article to Leah, I expected her to like it as much as I did. It spoke comfort into people’s pain instead of sentiment. That’s good, right? 

She loved my article, but she pointed out that writing about healing is still needed—more so than ever. Frankly, I wrestled with this for days. 

I can’t talk about that. I thought to myself. What if God doesn’t heal somebody’s pain? What if the heartache is too deep? Some things will always be sad when thought about.

I talked through my struggle with loved ones. The last person I talked to finally got to the bottom of why I was wrestling with it so much. “Autumn, do you think it is God who is challenging you to write about this?” My mom asked.

“You have gotten comfortable with just God’s comfort. There is nothing wrong with that, but what if you actually reached for healing? Maybe it’s time to allow God to comfort you through your journey towards healing, not just comfort you in your brokenness.

“Don’t settle into the mindset that the only thing God wants to do is comfort you. He calls you to believe in what you cannot see—healing. What would happen if you embraced both His comfort and His desire to heal what is broken when the time is right?”

Ouch. She hit the nail on the head.

God has healed me before in ways that would be considered impossible. I had simply forgotten because I was transfixed on the things He hasn’t healed yet.

Looking back, I realize that I was speaking from my pain rather than my faith. 

It may be hard, but since I know how much it stings to hear about healing, I have the ability to speak about it in a way that doesn’t sound like mere sentiment.

As humans, we get caught up in our impatience and start to lose faith. We limit God’s healing power because it hurts too much to give Him control. With our tear-stained faces and empty hands, we wonder if God even sees us.

God not only sees us, but He also desires to heal what is broken! No amount of heartache is too much for God. Who are we to limit Him? 

Nothing changes when we give up on the idea of healing, but everything changes for the better when we lean into God with faith and patience.

Something may always be sad when thought about, but God can take that sadness and give it purpose. He can bring restoration to your shattered heart. He can turn your mourning into joyous dancing (Psalms 30:11). 

You do not have to stay broken! This my soul knows very well. I pray yours will also come to the same life-changing realization.

8 Verses for the Brokenhearted

My hope is that this blog post will bring overflowing peace to your soul and invite you to not only feel God’s comfort, but will also lead you to accept His invitation to healing.

Here is a list of the verses we will be looking at. You can go through them in your own Bible, or you can scroll down and read the New King James Version + my thoughts on them.

1. Jeremiah 31:3
2. Ecclesiates 3:1-8
3. Proverbs 3:5-6
4. Lamentations 3:19-27
5. Habakkuk 3:17-19
6. Jeremiah 29:11-13
7. Romans 8:26
8. Ephesians 3:14-19

Jeremiah 31:3

The Lord has appeared of old to me, saying:

“Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love;

Therefore with lovingkindness I have drawn you.

From the very beginning, God established His magnificence by creating the world (Genesis 1-2). There is power in His words and presence! 

Not only is God powerful, but He also embraces us with an everlasting love. He has taught me through every heartbreak that He always sees us and cares for us. 

In your pain, remember that your feelings don’t change who God is; they change how you see Him—for better or worse.

Don’t allow your heartache to blind you from God’s love and true characteristics. I have found that the best medicine for a broken heart is meditating on the goodness of God.

Habakkuk 3:17-19

Though the fig tree may not blossom,

Nor fruit be on the vines;

Though the labor of the olive may fail,

And the fields yield no food;

Though the flock may be cut off from the fold,

And there be no herd in the stalls—

Yet I will rejoice in the Lord,

I will joy in the God of my salvation.

The Lord God is my strength;

He will make my feet like deer’s feet,

And He will make me walk on my high hills.

Habakkuk 3:17-19 is a prime example of meditating on God’s characteristics. The author of this passage doesn’t ignore troubles—he lays them out before God—but he also reaffirms how good God is no matter His circumstances.

The author emphasizes that no matter what takes place, joy can fill our souls. How? By God’s goodness and salvation.

Ecclesiates 3:1-8

To everything there is a season,

A time for every purpose under heaven:

A time to be born,

And a time to die;

A time to plant,

And a time to pluck what is planted;

A time to kill,

And a time to heal;

A time to break down,

And a time to build up;

A time to weep,

And a time to laugh;

A time to mourn,

And a time to dance;

A time to cast away stones,

And a time to gather stones;

A time to embrace,

And a time to refrain from embracing;

A time to gain,

And a time to lose;

A time to keep,

And a time to throw away;

A time to tear,

And a time to sew;

A time to keep silence,

And a time to speak;

A time to love,

And a time to hate;

A time of war,

And a time of peace.

This passage comforts me and allows me to embrace God’s healing.

More often than not, we can’t stop certain seasons from happening, but we can take hope in the fact that a new season will one day take its place. The world tells us that things will always stay the same, but God says something different. 

God will create something good out of every season of our lives if we allow Him to renew us through them (Romans 12:2).

Proverbs 3:5-6

Trust in the Lord with all your heart,

And lean not on your own understanding;

In all your ways acknowledge Him,

And He shall direct your paths.

You may not understand your circumstances or the thing that caused it, but you can trust God to lead you through this season and all the seasons to come. 

Trust in Him with all your heart and acknowledge Him even in the pain, and He will direct your paths. He will guide you towards a kind of healing that the world calls impossible.

Lamentations 3:19-27

Remember my affliction and roaming,

The wormwood and the gall.

My soul still remembers

And sinks within me.

This I recall to my mind,

Therefore I have hope.

Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed,

Because His compassions fail not.

They are new every morning;

Great is Your faithfulness.

“The Lord is my portion,” says my soul,

“Therefore I hope in Him!”

The Lord is good to those who wait for Him,

To the soul who seeks Him.

It is good that one should hope and wait quietly

For the salvation of the Lord.

It is good for a man to bear

The yoke in his youth.

Lamentations is filled with raw honesty. The kind of honesty that would make a lot of Christians gasp and gawk, but, in the end, the author still brings glory to God in his suffering. 

He illustrates how to draw near to God with all our brokenness. God is not scared of our pain, and He certainly isn’t afraid to bind up our wounds. We don’t have to be consumed by our heartache. 

We can call on God and be honest with Him about how we are feeling, earnestly seeking Him. When we talk through our pain with God in this way, we find His comfort and His healing.

Jeremiah 29:11-13

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.

Jeremiah 29:11-13 is plastered everywhere. So much so that it’s hard to grasp the depth of it. It has become ordinary, but, in reality, it’s extraordinary.

In this time of your life, you may not feel like there is a purpose for you. God says otherwise. He invites you to embrace Him, knowing that He desires peace for you. To call on Him and know that He is listening. 

To take hope in Him because you know that He has an amazing plan. To borrow from His strength when your heart is heavy. To utter His name.

Romans 8:26

Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.

When your brokenness is so heavy that you cannot even utter a single word, through the Holy Spirit, you can still reach the ears of God. You don’t have to stress about having the right words. 

Perhaps you just need to sit in your room and cry as you embrace the Spirit, welcoming Him to intercede for you. When we invite God into our weeping, things change. Peace and healing are found!

Ephesians 3:14-19

For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height—to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

Allow God to strengthen and heal the innermost part of you—the part of you that is hurting. It may feel impossible right now, but as you lean into Him, you will find that He can make anything possible. 

Allow God to reveal Himself to you through His Word.

God desires to fill you with Himself. All of who He is! To fill you with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23). 

Remember that God is bigger than any amount of heartache! Stop listening to the world that tells you otherwise.

A Blessing Found in the Heartache

In the end, even though it seems like the furthest thing from the truth, those who mourn are blessed (Matthew 5:4). You may be scratching your head, but I urge you to think about it for a moment.

In your brokenheartedness, God draws closer to you. He calls you by name. He aches for you. He longs to heal you and help you and strengthen you. His love shines even brighter through the hard seasons. 

Even if it seems crazy right now, the ones who have been broken are the ones who know the restorative power of God. I have been brokenhearted more than once, and it has taught me how extraordinary God is to His people. 

So, yes, a broken heart is one of the worst pains, but there is healing to be found through God Almighty. I promise, it’s not just a sentiment. It’s the truth—the truth that will set you free from the crushing weight you feel.

Open your hands and allow God to heal your shattered pieces.

Thank you so much for reading! Leah and I would love to connect with you more in the comments. With that said, what is your favorite verse to run to when your world is falling apart? Let’s chat!