REVELATION 3:20

Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.

Revelation 3:20 (NKJV)

Suggested reading: Revelation 3:19-22

When emotionally painful and traumatic circumstances cause our hearts to be broken, we can allow ourselves to become distant, or even completely separated from our Most High God. Broken hearts can easily become hardened and we can blame the Lord for the unspeakable pain that has devastated our lives. However, Jesus loves us so much that He stands at the doors of our hearts and knocks, waiting for us to respond to Him.

We always have a choice of whether or not we will let the Lord into those painful places in our hearts. To receive healing from emotional and/or spiritual pain and trauma, we must first turn to the Lord and ask God for forgiveness in Jesus’ name for any ungodly thoughts, attitudes and behaviors that we have allowed in our lives. We must then repent by obeying God’s Word. He will forgive us and welcome us back into His arms when we do so.

Romans 8:37 says that we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. Jesus provided the way for us to be set free from discouragement, depression, despair, sorrow and hopelessness. However, we must make the decision to receive the godly healing available to us through Jesus Christ. The love and compassion of Jesus can release emotional and spiritual pain that we may have carried for years or decades. The choice is ours. Will we open the doors of our hearts to Jesus and allow His love to heal our broken hearts? The Lord’s joy, hope and peace are available if we make that choice!

PSALM 107:2

Let the redeemed of the LORD say so,
Whom He has redeemed from the hand of the enemy,

Psalm 107:2 (NKJV)

Suggested reading: Psalm 107:1-6

It is of the utmost importance that we share our testimonies of how the Lord set us free through the gift of salvation from sin and eternal punishment in Hell. The shed blood and sacrifice of Jesus Christ redeemed us from the hand of the enemy if we have genuinely accepted that incomparable gift from the Most High God. Telling others about what the Lord did for us, when we received that most precious gift, honors and glorifies God.

In the same way, it honors and glorifies the Lord when we share our testimonies of how the Lord worked good from horrific and traumatic experiences that caused our hearts to be broken. However, the devil tries to prevent us from giving God that glory by telling us that we should not tell anyone what happened to cause us so much pain. The lies that Satan tells us are meant to pour shame and embarrassment on top of already unbearably painful memories. 

A higher level of freedom comes to us when we reject the lies of the enemy and tell others how Jesus released us, or is in the process of releasing us, from the prison of emotional and spiritual pain. The release of pain and trauma and the healing of our broken hearts is a process that usually takes a significant amount of time, but we can share our testimonies of what the Lord has done on our healing journeys regardless of how far we still need to go. If we are the redeemed of the Lord, we need to say so! Our testimonies encourage others to have hope that they too can receive the healing they need for their broken hearts.

HEBREWS 11:33-34

who by faith [that is, with an enduring trust in God and His promises] subdued kingdoms, administered justice, obtained promised blessings, closed the mouths of lions, extinguished the power of [raging] fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, became mighty and unbeatable in battle, putting enemy forces to flight.

Hebrews 11:33-34 (AMP)

Suggested reading: Hebrews 11:30-34

Faith—it can set us free from the pain of more trials and trauma than we can imagine! When traumatic situations, Satan, and his forces from the kingdom of darkness have beaten us down, all can seem hopeless and we can fall into a pit of depression and despair. The trials and trauma in our lives that cause our hearts to be broken also cause us to feel weak and unable to fight the enemy.

However, these verses testify of the victory that was experienced by those who were faithful. They were—out of weakness—made strong! They were not made strong due to their own plans and ability, but because they trusted the Most High God and His promises in spite of their circumstances. When our hearts are broken, we must turn to the Lord and trust Him. That is what it means to have faith.

As we trust the One True God and His promises, we will be strengthened and we will be more able to fight the spiritual warfare that comes our way. We must never give up in our times of weakness—never! Those are the very times that will enable us to be stronger in the future as long as we cling to Almighty God, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. Following the Lord’s directions and guidance during and after traumatic situations will bring about positive outcomes and increase our faith. “And we know [with great confidence] that God [who is deeply concerned about us] causes all things to work together [as a plan] for good for those who love God, to those who are called according to His plan and purpose” (Romans 8:28, AMP). 

PSALM 37:7

Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for Him;
Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way,
Because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass.

Psalm 37:7 (NKJV)

Suggested reading: Psalm 37:5-7

In this verse, the Lord tells us to rest in Him and wait patiently for Him. In the two previous verses, He instructs us to trust Him because He will bring forth justice. For those who are suffering the emotional pain of a broken heart, it can seem like an eternity as we wait for the Lord to intervene on our behalf and bring about His justice. The pain and trauma can be overwhelming and can be the focus of everything we do if we are not careful to follow the Lord’s directions in this verse.

Waiting on the Lord is not optional if we want to experience His perfect will in our lives. However, waiting on the Lord to work things out for good does not mean that we are to do nothing in the meantime. We can and should focus our attention on serving the Most High God as we wait on Him. Helping others helps us to remember the bigger picture of why we are on this planet. The healing of our broken hearts is accomplished in part when we reach out in God’s love to a hurting world.

As we rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him to help us through our times of trauma, we can share the love of Jesus—even if in some small way—with others who may not even know the Lord. Jesus was the best example of this. In spite of being in the process of experiencing an excruciating death on the cross, He spoke words of comfort and love to His mother and John (John 19:25-27). Let us follow His example!

PSALM 95:8

“Do not harden your hearts, as in the rebellion,
As in the day of trial in the wilderness,”

Psalm 95:8 (NKJV)

Suggested reading: Psalm 95:6-11

A broken heart—that is something we have all experienced at some time in our lives, and many of us have had our hearts broken numerous times over the years. We must be careful not to allow our hearts to become hardened as the result of emotionally painful and traumatic circumstances. Broken hearts are weakened and more vulnerable to the schemes of Satan, including his temptation for us to shut out other people, and even the Lord, in an attempt to protect ourselves from further pain and trauma.

Trials and trauma in our lives come in various forms. Physical abuse, spiritual abuse, emotional abuse, mental abuse, verbal abuse, sexual abuse, rape, the death of a loved one, divorce, and natural disasters are examples of devastating events that cause our hearts to be broken. If we are not careful, they can also leave us with hardened hearts. Turning to the Lord for His comfort and healing is essential for us to receive the freedom, peace and joy that those events steal from our hearts and spirits.

If we have sincerely accepted Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior—an incomparable gift from our Most High God—we have the opportunity to receive healing and freedom from pain and trauma. We will obey the Lord, not walk in rebellion to His plans for us, and not harden our hearts if we are true followers of Jesus. Allowing our hearts to be hardened only separates us from our loving, Heavenly Father and hinders the healing of our broken hearts. That does not mean that the pain will instantly disappear once we become followers of Jesus Christ, but that the process of inner healing can begin.

MATTHEW 28:20

“…I am with you always [remaining with you perpetually—regardless of circumstance, and on every occasion], even to the end of the age.”

Matthew 28:20 (AMP)

Suggested reading: Matthew 28:18-20

Jesus! Jesus!! Jesus!!! Sometimes the pain and trauma we are experiencing can be so devastating that we are not even able to pray and ask God for help. However, in those times, we can call on Jesus! He promised to be with us always regardless of circumstance and on every occasion. Just speaking His powerful name as a prayer will help bring some level of peace and comfort for our broken hearts.

The Lord knows everything that we go through and He does not need us to pray long paragraphs or pages of requests for help. When we are able, He does want us to talk to Him at length, especially thanking and praising Him. However, in the midst of traumatic events, we are usually not capable of saying long prayers for God’s help, or prayers of spiritual warfare. We can ask trusted, Christian friends for support with that. Nevertheless, we can always pray and speak Jesus’ name in a reverent manner.

Remember, when we speak the name of Jesus, we are calling out to the King of kings and Lord of lords!  The power in His name alone is incomparable. Satan, or any other entity in the kingdom of darkness, is no match for the name of Jesus and the blood that He shed for us! It is imperative that we have genuinely asked Jesus Christ to be our Lord and Savior in order for us to receive freedom and healing for our broken hearts. We must also sincerely follow Jesus and obey the Lord as we live each and every day. Then, when trials come our way, we have the privilege of calling out His wonderful name—Jesus!

PSALM 138:3

In the day when I cried out, You answered me,
And made me bold with strength in my soul.

Psalm 138:3 (NKJV)

Suggested reading: Psalm 138:1-3

David was praising the One True God in these verses for the Lord’s loving-kindness and truth. David had experienced God’s goodness and he knew that the Lord was responsible for the boldness and strength in his soul. When we are brokenhearted as the result of traumatic and emotionally painful circumstances in our lives, we can feel anything but bold and strong. The pain and trauma can cause us to be discouraged, depressed, hopeless and/or fearful. However, if we take horrible situations as opportunities to cry out to our Most High God for His help and comfort, we will be made bold and receive strength in our souls.

Praying to our Heavenly Father should always be our first reaction to pain and trauma in our lives. He is the only One who can intervene and truly heal our broken hearts and spirits. Our souls—our minds, wills and emotions—need the boldness and strength that Almighty God, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit can provide in any situation. If we have honestly and genuinely accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior, and we repent, and we obey God, He will hear our prayers and answer them in His perfect will and timing. 

Spending time in prayer, thanking, praising and loving our awesome God, is essential for us to receive healing from emotional and spiritual pain and trauma. Our personal relationships with Jesus Christ are the only way we can boldly come to Father God and receive our lasting healing and freedom. There is no shortcut to inner healing, but the freedom it brings is worth every minute that it takes to achieve the Lord’s peace, joy and victory over pain and trauma!

JOHN 10:27

My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.

John 10:27 (NKJV)

Suggested reading: John 10:22-30

According to Luke 4:18 and Isaiah 61:1, Jesus came to heal the brokenhearted. However, we must be one of His sheep, or followers, in order for Him to heal our broken hearts. Being a follower of Jesus Christ does not only mean that one day we said a prayer asking Him to save us from our sins and Hell, but it means much more than that. The prayer is just the beginning. Asking Jesus Christ to be our Lord—and surrendering our wills to His will—requires us to obey His directions in our lives.

Hearing the Lord’s voice is an amazing privilege. We do not usually hear it audibly, but in our hearts and spirits. We can know that He is leading us down godly and beneficial paths when we have given Him the authority in our lives to do so. Following Jesus is not easy, but it is always the right thing to do—always! Regardless of the initial outcomes of our decisions that are led by the Lord, we can know that He will ultimately bring good out of them.  

Our Most High God, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit know us better than we know ourselves. We may think we can fool others, but we can never fool the Lord. It is ludicrous to think that the Creator of the Universe can be deceived. Therefore, we must diligently listen to His voice and obey the Lord in all things if we claim to be true followers of Jesus Christ. Peace that defies understanding will be our reward. Our Heavenly Father knows best and wants to help us as we travel the path of life, but we must listen to Him, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. As we obey the Lord, our broken hearts will be healed.