Peace of Mind After a Broken Heart

Post # 115

I was thinking recently about a song written by Robin and Barry Gibb of the Beegees, “How Can You Mend A Broken Heart?

“I can think of younger days when living for my life
Was everything a man could want to do
I could never see tomorrow, but I was never told about the sorrow

And how can you mend a broken heart?
How can you stop the rain from falling down?
How can you stop the sun from shining?
What makes the world go round?
How can you mend this broken man?
How can a loser ever win?
Please help me mend my broken heart and let me live again

I can still feel the breeze that rustles through the trees
And misty memories of days gone by
We could never see tomorrow, no one said a word about the sorrow

Please help me mend my broken heart and let me live again”

God is our best source of comfort and healing in cases of heart aches and addictions. We need to turn to Him with our whole hearts and minds.

Proverbs 3:5-6 says, “Trust in Yahweh with all your heart, and don’t lean on your own understanding. ⁶ In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.” (World English Bible is quoted throughout.)

Isaiah 61:1 says, “The Lord Yahweh’s Spirit is on me, because Yahweh has anointed me to preach good news to the humble. He has sent me to bind up the broken hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and release to those who are bound,”

Isaiah’s prophecy was fulfilled by the first coming of Jesus the Christ, and a big part of his mission was to bandage up and heal the broken hearted, and to release those who may have become bound up in harmful habits, such as substance abuse, in order to fill the emptiness of their broken relationships. Jesus and the apostles taught a very hard to accept principle; namely, that all people since Adam and Eve are addicts and slaves to our fallen human nature and natural way of thinking. Only Jesus can change our hearts and replace our natural nature with his godly way of thinking and behaviour.

Also consider the old hymn “What a Friend We Have in Jesus.”

Verse 1 says, “What a friend we have in Jesus, All our sins and griefs to bear!” Verse 2 says, “Can we find a friend so faithful, Who will all our sorrows share? Jesus knows our every weakness; Take it to the Lord in prayer.”

Consider, “Can we find a friend so faithful, Who will all our (griefs and) sorrows share?” Some struggles and disappointments in life can be heart breaking. Jesus never blames the victim of a broken heart, as people often do.  Part of His life mission is to bind up and heal the broken hearts of willing people. Jesus keeps his promises and always does the will of His Father. I find it so great to learn and meditate on how much God cares about us; so much that He gave His life to make our healing possible and to lead us to a more abundant life.

Philippians 4:4-9 says, “Rejoice in the Lord always! Again I will say, Rejoice! ⁵ Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand. ⁶ In nothing be anxious, but in everything, by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. ⁷ And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your thoughts in Christ Jesus. ⁸ Finally, brothers, whatever things are true, whatever things are honorable, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report: if there is any virtue and if there is any praise, think about these things. ⁹ The things which you learned, received, heard, and saw in me: do these things, and the God of peace will be with you.”

We can fill the emptiness of being broken hearted with the “peace of God, which surpasses all understanding”; by counting our blessings and by thinking about the things mentioned above in Philippians 4: 8-9.

2 Corinthians 5:17-21, ^“Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old things have passed away. Behold, all things have become new. ¹⁸ But all things are of God, who reconciled us to himself through Jesus Christ, and gave to us the ministry of reconciliation; ¹⁹ namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself, not reckoning to them their trespasses, and having committed to us the word of reconciliation. ²⁰ We are therefore ambassadors on behalf of Christ, as though God were entreating by us: we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. ²¹ For him who knew no sin he made to be sin on our behalf; so that in him we might become the righteousness of God”

Psalm 37:1-8, “Don’t fret because of evildoers, neither be envious against those who work unrighteousness. ² For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither like the green herb. ³ Trust in Yahweh, and do good. Dwell in the land, and enjoy safe pasture. ⁴ Also delight yourself in Yahweh, and He will give you the desires of your heart. ⁵ Commit your way to Yahweh. Trust also in Him, and he will do this: ⁶ He will make your righteousness shine out like light, and your justice as the noon day sun. ⁷ Rest in Yahweh, and wait patiently for Him. Don’t fret because of him who prospers in his way, because of the man who makes wicked plots happen. ⁸ Cease from anger, and forsake wrath.”

John 14:25-27, “I have said these things to you while still living with you. ²⁶ But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things, and will remind you of all that I said to you. ²⁷ Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you; not as the world gives, I give to you. Don’t let your heart be troubled, neither let it be fearful.”

2 Corinthians 1:1-4 gives a directive to pass on the blessing of comfort to others;  “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort; ⁴ who comforts us in all our affliction, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, through the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.” 

Being reconciled to God brings great peace of mind and comfort to broken hearts. For further reading about the benefits of being led by the Spirit of God click HERE.

I include the following excerpt from a helpful article by psychologist Dr Guy Winch.

“But recovering from heartbreak is no easy task, as our own brains work against us. Recent brain scans have revealed what most new couples know all too well: love is addictive. And that means that the withdrawal of romantic love causes the exact response in the brain you might expect when you stop an addictive substance cold turkey: intense withdrawal. In fact, studies have found that the brain reacts to heartbreak much like it does when an addict is withdrawing from substances like cocaine or opioids. That’ s why we become so obsessed, so desperate, why nothing else seems to matter – we are going through acute withdrawal and all we want and need is our ex.” (quoted from https://www.fatherly.com/love-money/how-to-fix-a-broken-heart-science/ )