An 80 mph wind hammered hail the size of half-dollars against our windows. So loud. So persistent. So threatening. I covered my face and cried as I thought of what damage it would do to lives, farmers’ crops, and people’s property. God, please protect us!
We are having record rainfalls here in South Dakota. The sky is still threatening more. Most years we are praying for rain, but now I look up and plead with God to please allow the land to dry so the rivers settle back into their normal paths. Towns are flooding throughout the Midwest. Foundations of homes crumbling. Roads washed out. Landmark parks beyond repair. Deadly twin tornadoes left piles of rubble where homes once were in a small town in Nebraska and snatched the lives of a 5-year-old girl and a 74-year-old motorist.
So much destruction and devastation. Spirits crushed. Hearts broken. Lives turned upside down. Overpowered. Defeated. Overwhelmed with sorrow, confusion, and pain.
“Overwhelmed” is “to be overpowered or overcome, especially with superior forces; destroyed; crushed.” I picture a two-ton giant’s foot not only stomping his foot down on us but twisting his boot back and forth to make certain we are utterly destroyed with nothing left of us.
There are so many storms in life, both visible and hidden, that overwhelm us. Overpower us. Crush us. Circumstances that don’t seem fair and we can’t begin to understand. Trials that turn our lives upside down and inside out. Emotional turmoil that spins us around and knocks the breath out of us. Leaving us in a heap of rubble. Our strength drains and our eyes grow so dim we can’t see hope on the horizon.
But this brokenness is exactly what draws Jesus and His compassion. He feels each struggle and cries with us. He knows what it’s like. No one suffers the way He suffered for us. He was crushed so broken ones can be made whole. He specializes in broken hearts. No matter how broken and crushed we are, it is never beyond His power to restore.
The giants of trouble may storm in and smash our hope to pieces and grind it into despondency, but Jesus is near to rescue us. He can pick up the millions of pieces of our shattered hearts and mend them together again.
He longs for us to trust Him with our healing. He waits for us to not only need Him, but to want Him. His heart of love yearns to rescue, rebuild, and restore us. He knows every detail of our lives and the deepest thoughts of our hearts, but He longs for us to bring it to Him, to confide in Him, to rest in Him.
He Longs For Us
“Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you;
therefore He will rise up to show you compassion.”
Psalm 61:2He Is Near to the Broken
He Will Rescue Us“The Lord is close to the brokenhearted;
He rescues those whose spirits are crushed.”
Psalm 34:18 NLTHe Will Rebuild and Restore
the Ruins of Our Hearts
“You will be rebuilt;
I will restore all your ruins!”
Jeremiah 44:26 NLT
Precious Jesus,
Rescuer of the powerless,
Healer of the wounded,
Restorer of ruins,
Sometimes our hearts
Feel so broken,
Crushed into a million pieces,
Without hope of being restored,
But Your limitless power
Can and will restore
Broken bodies,
Crushed spirits,
Smashed hopes.
We plead upon
Your tender compassion,
Your unmerited favor,
Your boundless love.
Help us to flee to You,
To confide in You,
To rest in You.
“We pour out our miseries,
God just hears a melody.
Beautiful the mess we are,
The honest cries of breaking hearts
Are better than a hallelujah.”
– Amy Grant
Joining Up With:
Whitespace Writing Prompt:
Share a special Bible verse that is
currently touching your heart with rest and comfort.
Freed to Fly 
“But this brokenness is exactly what draws Jesus and His compassion.”
You are so right. Difficult circumstances often lead us into the arms of Jesus. So comforting to know he is there for us … always.
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Yes, always. Even when we are unfaithful, He remains faithful. Words can never adequately describe how deep His love and compassion are for us. Thank you for stopping by, Nina. I hope you are getting more rest in Jesus! 🌹
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Trudy, I was your near neighbour over at #tellhisstory and just felt compelled to read your blog. I’m so glad I did! These are words I really needed to hear today as I struggle with feeling wounded and broken. They have helped calm and give me peace. There is a deep stronghold from the past that continually invades the present and I am desperate to overcome it. These words in your beautiful prayer helped me so much, “Sometimes our hearts /Feel so broken,/Crushed into a million pieces,/Without hope of being restored,/But Your limitless power/Can and will restore Broken bodies,/Crushed spirits,Smashed hopes.” Amen!
I am also (very slowly) reading ‘Finding Spiritual Whitespace’ and finding it’s doing a deep work as I delve back to childhood memories and seek to see God’s hand there as well as in the present. I love the design of your blog and its ethos. Have just begun following to read more of your inspiring posts. Thank you!
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Thank you for your kind and encouraging words, Joy. I’m so glad you found me. Now I know about your blog, too. 🙂 I love how you describe poetry as a living letter of wound and heart. I see you, too, are a chronic illness sufferer. Praying God will give you strength for each day!
I’m so glad God has given you peace through this post. I had to read Bonnie’s book slowly as well and it is life-changing for me. It’s helping me connect to that hurting little girl inside of me instead of ignoring her or minimizing her pain. Trying to take her with me to Jesus in all her brokenness. So glad to have you on this whitespace journey with me. Praying for Jesus to heal those deep wounds of your heart. ❤️
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Trudy, thanks for writing this. I agree that trials draw us to Jesus. I am not happy to admit it, but I find it easier to “forget” about Him when everything is going smoothly. We are having trial after trial thrown at us, so you would think I’d learn by now! 🙂
Like you and poetry joy, I am reading Finding Spiritual Whitespace slowly. It is leading me to deep introspection and memories that have been buried for many years.
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Thank you, Melissa. I think all of us so easily forget Him when things go smoothly. And I confess that when I’m in the midst of a trial, I also forget the benefits of it drawing me nearer to Jesus.
I am finished now with the book, but I’ve been thinking of reading it again. I’m still trying to process much of it. It really has been life-changing for me. Praying Jesus will help you and all of us to expose those memories and bring them to His love and healing! 💗
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Trudy, this is a beautiful post. So glad I stopped by this morning.
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Thank you, Anita. Your nature photos often refresh my drooping spirit and renew my hope. 🌈
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I felt all the emotions as I read through your story. I’m so thankful we can trust Him and that He gives us such peace. So glad He puts the pieces back together.
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Amen. It’s so amazing how he can pick up the scattered pieces of our hearts and put them back together. Not one piece is hidden from Him. Praying you will find rest in Jesus! ❤️
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