A Prayer For Brokenness

Sadly, we all experience broken hearts at least once in our lives. While a broken heart is mainly associated with romantic heartache, many events in life could break our hearts. Our comfort as Christians is that in times of brokenness, we are never alone. If we are in Christ, then God is with us. 

Father in heaven, I thank You because when I feel broken, you are the One Who is with me and comforts me. You are my strong tower, rock, and refuge to Whom I can run. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen. 

What does the Bible say about brokenness? 

Brokenness is something that the Bible is familiar with. In Genesis 3, we witness the first-ever brokenness in humans when they sinned and had to be banished from the Garden of Eden. Since sin entered the world, brokenness has become part of our lives. One of the many examples in the Bible is King David, broken in the sense that King Saul was chasing him, trying to kill him out of jealousy, and some of his friends betrayed him. 

There are many reasons why a person may feel broken. One of them is because of sin. King David sinned against God when he slept with Bathsheba and murdered her husband, Uriah, and he was broken when the prophet Nathan rebuked him of his sin. Realizing that he has sinned against God, he was broken and had a contrite heart, resulting in genuine repentance. That is why we have (My sacrifice, O God, is] a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart you, God, will not despise. Psalm 51:17), where it is written that God does not despise a broken and contrite heart.

Of course, our being broken is not always because we sinned against God. Sometimes, or even most of the time, we are broken because of the actions of others. Think about a betrayal of a close friend, a parent who chose to value their work over you, or a special someone who chose someone else instead of you. It could also be a death of a loved one, a failure in trying to achieve something you longed for in your career, and much more. If there is one thing we can agree on, it’s that the common denominator among all these is they are excruciating. What happened is so painful that it has caused your heart to be broken. 

King David experienced the same thing when some people were after his life in Psalm 31. He had adversaries after him, and even people he knew seemed to have turned a blind eye to him. In Psalm 31:11-12, he wrote that he became an object of dread to his acquaintances; those who see him in the street flee from him. He has been forgotten like one who is dead; he has become like a broken vessel.

As we experience brokenness, we may feel the same way King David felt. We may find ourselves distressed and our eyes wasted in grief because we are always crying. We may also find our strength to be failing, our lives in sorrow, and our bones wasted. Brokenness is indeed an unpleasant experience to have.

However, in times of brokenness, we should not find ourselves alone. If we are in Christ, then God is near us. As written in Psalm 23, even if we feel like we are walking through the valley of the shadow of death, we shall fear no evil because even in those times, Christ, our good shepherd, leads us and comforts us with His rod and staff. Even in times of brokenness, God’s goodness and lovingkindness surely follow us.

Like King David, in times of brokenness, we can go to the Word of God – where we can find the truth as to Who God is, what He is like, and what He is doing – and we can respond in the same way that King David did, with trust that God knows He is our God. Perhaps a good question to ask ourselves is, Who is our God? What is God like? Our God is sovereign and all-mighty. We can entrust our lives to Him because His divine providence is always at work. In Psalm 31, King David speaks of God’s abundant goodness and steadfast love. We can be strong and take courage because it is God for Whom we are waiting.

In times of brokenness, we are sometimes so overwhelmed by pain and emotion that we question whether God is there or not. Some people even reach the extreme of questioning if God even exists. However, in (The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. Psalm 34:18), it is written that God is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit. Regardless of what we feel about God being near us or not, it does not change the truth that He is near us and is saving our crushed spirits. 

In (He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. Psalm 147:3), it is written that God heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. An inevitable pain may be heartbreaking, leaving us with deep wounds. However, there are no wounds that are beyond God’s healing. Our hearts may be broken, but God can make us whole again through the power of the Holy Spirit. In Christ, we are whole, and no matter what pain and hurt we may encounter that will break our hearts, we will always be made whole.

The New Testament also offers several verses that comfort us in times of brokenness. In 2 Corinthians 1:3-5 it is written that in times of affliction, just as when we are broken, God is our comforter. He is the Father of mercies and God of all comfort. That is why just as we receive comfort from God through Christ, we should also comfort others.

Also, in Romans 8:37-39, it is written that we are more than conquerors in Christ. We ought not to live in defeat when we find ourselves broken. We can push forward, stand straight, and still take up the responsibility to pursue our purpose in life because we are conquerors in Christ. We can still live a thriving and dynamic life in obedience to God through Christ, Who strengthens us. 

Also, it is written that neither death or life, angels or rulers, present things or future things, powers, height or depth, nor anything else in the universe can separate us from the love of God in Christ. We may sometimes find it hard to see and feel the love of God because of the 

overwhelming pain of brokenness, but the truth is, nothing can separate us from His love.

Ultimately, our hope in Christ is that as we are found in Him, a time will come when He returns, and everything shall be made right. We will be in a place where sin, brokenness, tears, and pain won’t exist anymore, as written in ( He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’[a] or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” Revelations 21:4). We will enjoy and spend eternity with God.

Father in heaven, I thank You because You are with me even if I feel like I am in a dark valley because of the pain and brokenness I am going through. Your rod and your staff comfort me. Even in these painful times, Your goodness and lovingkindness follow me. Your mercies are new every morning. You are always near me to bind up my wounds. Thank You because, in Christ, I receive comfort and grace. Nothing can ever separate me from Your love in Christ, my Lord. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

How do I pray in times of brokenness?

In times of brokenness, knowing that it is time for you to be vulnerable to God is essential. You don’t have to come before God and pray as if you have it all together. When your heart is broken, pray to God by pouring your heart out to Him. The psalm we mentioned above, Psalm 31, is an excellent example of how King David was pouring his heart out to God. Like King David, we can be honest with God and pour out to Him our pains, frustrations, disappointments, and every emotion we have.

We also pray to God by asking Him for the grace and comfort we need. In Hebrews 4:16, it is written that in Christ, we have the confidence to draw near before God’s throne of grace and ask Him for grace and mercy in times of need. Surely, we need God’s grace and mercy in times of brokenness. That grace and mercy can be whatever you need to pull through in such times. It could be comfort, strength, peace, resilience, etc. The bottom line is that whenever our hearts are broken, we pour our emotions into God and depend on Him for the grace and mercy we need to push through life.

Below is an example of this prayer:

Father in heaven, I feel betrayed by my friends. My heart is broken because they cast me out just because I spoke the truth to them. The pain is something I have a hard time coping with. However, I thank You because You are near me in these painful times. You are the One Who heals my heart. I pray for Your grace and mercy in these trying times. Heal my heart and give me the strength to persevere through life. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

If you are reading this and you haven’t repented and believed in the finished work of Christ yet, then you must get to know the Gospel first. If you are in sin, then you are separated from God. As you experience brokenness, you will experience it alone. Only in Christ can we be saved from God’s wrath toward our sins, receive forgiveness and eternal life, and be adopted into God’s family. It is through Christ that we are reconciled with God because God sees the righteousness of Christ. Only through Christ do we become recipients of the comfort, grace, and mercy that we have written about above.