Day 17: The Healer of Broken Hearts
Psalm 147:3
My friend Lisa Plunket died in May 2025 after a long, painful battle with cancer. We gathered to celebrate her life with broken hearts as our contending prayers for physical healing and long life were not answered. The grief was raw, and the ache of unanswered prayers cut deeply.
Yet Psalm 147:3 gently meets us in such a place: “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.” This psalm was likely written after the Israelites returned from exile in Babylon—a time of significant loss. Their homeland lay in ruins, families were scattered, and worship was disrupted. The community’s collective trauma needed more than political or physical rebuilding—they needed deep soul healing. God promised to bind up not just bodies but broken hearts.
Jesus fulfills this promise as our ultimate Healer. Isaiah 53 calls Him the Man of Sorrows, acquainted with grief. He bore our sins, sickness, and sorrows on the Cross, not to give us quick fixes, but eternal restoration.
Though we longed for Lisa’s healing here, we trust that Jesus brought her into wholeness beyond what we see. In our broken-heartedness, He draws near, bandaging wounds. He doesn’t always change the circumstances, but He changes us in the midst of them.
To all who mourn, take heart—our wounded Healer is present, and He will not let our grief go unnoticed. He binds, heals, and one day will make all things new. His presence is our hope, comfort, and assurance that we are not alone in our grief.
Reflection Prayer
Jesus, our wounded Healer, thank You for tenderly holding us in our sorrow and binding our deep wounds. Heal our aching hearts and shattered hopes. Remind us that You are close to the brokenhearted and faithful through every season. Strengthen us to hope, love, and trust You even in silence. Anoint us to be wounded healers—using our pain as a balm for others and our scars as signs of Your Resurrection power. Teach us to listen with mercy, walk gently with those who suffer, and carry Your light into the darkest places. May our lives reflect Your redeeming love. Amen.
Week 3: Christ Our Healer
Isaiah 53:4–5
As we focus on the life of Christ, this week’s theme is Christ Our Healer. God promises healing in both aspects—physical and spiritual. At times, He provides immediate physical healing to encourage gratitude towards God, which can lead to a deeper spiritual relationship, resulting in spiritual healing. Conversely, there are instances where spiritual healing is prioritized, altering the individual’s perspective on pain, and enabling them to endure while awaiting God’s physical intervention. During His time on Earth, Jesus healed many individuals and often remarked that their faith had healed them. Therefore, it is essential to pray with expectant faith. Ultimately, it is at God’s discretion whether He grants miraculous healing or offers the grace for endurance. When Paul implored God three times to remove the thorn from his flesh, God responded, “My grace is sufficient for you, and my strength is made perfect in your weakness” (2 Cor. 12:9).
Reflection Questions
Have you or your family experienced supernatural healing?
How do you pray for an unbeliever’s healing?
How do you comfort someone who prayed for a miracle that didn’t happen?