Ministering to a Broken Heart (Prayer)

Have you ever felt as if something is broken in your life – either something within you or something in your circumstances? Often, we run to destructive habits, like emotional eating, as a reaction to brokenness. That negative habit promises to soothe us. And perhaps it does soothe us for a little while – making us forget the brokenness. But sooner or later, those jagged pieces “cut” us again. Before we know it, we get caught up in a destructive cycle; trying to escape that pain of brokenness to that something we hope will make us feel whole. King David described this feeling well in Psalm 38:8:

“I am feeble and severely broken; I groan because of the turmoil of my heart.”

If you feel there is something broken in your life that keeps driving you back to negative behavior, I have a prayer for you that will help you start the process of healing. This prayer is based upon 2 scriptures:

• "The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart, And saves such as have a contrite spirit (Psalm 34:18)."

• "For thus says the High and Lofty One Who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: “I dwell in the high and holy place, With him who has a contrite and humble spirit, To revive the spirit of the humble, And to revive the heart of the contrite ones (Isaiah 57:15)."

To receive the Lord's help when you are broken is to first recognize that you cannot repair yourself. Many people are enslaved to destructive habits because they refuse to admit they need help. Their pride prevents them from doing so. They treasure having a "golden image" of self-sufficiency and looking strong before others while inside they are falling apart. Underneath it all, they live under the fear of being "found out." But freedom and healing will come when you cease worshipping that golden image and get real. You agree with God that the destructive habit is not good. You are ready to submit your heart to Him for healing so that you can be truly whole. Here is my prayer for you: Gracious Heavenly Father, in the compassionate name of Jesus, I am so grateful to you that You saved me from my sins! You said that sin shall not have dominion over me, for I am not under law but under grace. How I need your grace so that I can walk in freedom every day. You welcome those who have a broken spirit and a broken and a contrite heart. Welcome me into your presence Lord, for I am weak and broken in my flesh. I recognize You as the One who heals the brokenhearted and binds up our wounds. I honor You as the Repairer of the Breach. Make me whole in You. Fill me with your comfort and your peace. I am Your child, Your handiwork. I renounce the broken cisterns I've run to in my life, those worthless things that can hold no water. Instead, I turn to You in my brokenness, the Fountain of Living Waters. You promised that those who come to You will have an everlasting spring - waters that will never fail. These waters will revive me and refresh others. I believe Your word. Each day, perfect me in Your love. I know it is only Your perfect love that will cast out fear. As You heal me, make me a channel of blessing so that I may share with others the healing that You have worked out in me. Thank You for saving me, Lord. Thank You for giving a new vision of my life past my pain, but a new life that is complete - one that is healthy, healed, and whole in You! In Jesus' name. Amen. Be blessed in health, healing, and wholeness, Kimberly Taylor Author/Christian Life Coach of the Take Back Your Temple program P.S. The Bible gives us a prescription for change in Romans 12:2:

And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God."

It would be nice if our mind was renewed automatically when we accept Jesus as a Savior. But it is not. We must take the initiative to cast out old, self-defeating thoughts and replace them with thoughts that are consistent with God's word. Only then can we experience new life in Christ. In the Take Back Your Temple program, you will learn how to manage your emotions God's way as you release excess weight. If you are ready to experience God's best in this area, I urge you to join us in this unique program today!