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The Lord heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.
Psalm 147:3 ESV

Days and months have passed. I am now in the second year since the loss of my husband, but my heart still feels like it is broken – I keep asking – Will it ever heal?

Recently our local radio station has been playing the song written by Phillips, Craig, and Dean – “Tell Your Heart To Beat Again.” The song is also sung by Danny Goke who lost his wife Sophia after she underwent heart surgery, just weeks before he was to perform on American Idol.

I seem to be able to relate to the song which speaks of being shattered like you’ve never been before, thinking you will never get back to the you that used to be. Love’s healing hands have pulled you through, so get back up, take step one, leave the darkness – your story’s far from over and your journey’s just begun. Let the shadows fall away, step into the light of grace, say goodbye to where you’ve been and tell your heart to beat again.

I am always interested in why songs are written, so I searched to see what I could find about this one. One of the writers, Randy Phillips, told the following story about a Pastor who asked his surgeon friend if he could witness an open heart surgery. As the Pastor sat quietly and watched, the surgeon sawed open the chest cavity, removed the heart and repaired it, then placed it back into the chest cavity of his patient and massaged it. However, after several attempts, the heart failed to start to beat on it’s own. Finally the surgeon knelt down beside his patient and he took off his surgeon’s mask and said “Mrs. Johnson, this is your surgeon. The operation went perfectly, your heart has been repaired now tell your heart to beat again.” When he said that the heart began to beat. Mr. Phillips said, “When I heard this story I thought I’ve got to write this song because there are so many people who have experienced so much brokenness to their heart. And even though God the great surgeon has saved us and repaired us, covered us with his grace, sometimes it takes you and me to tell our own heart, “Beat again, love again, hope again.”

As I read this story, chills went down my spine. You see, just nine years ago, I underwent open heart surgery. I remember my husband telling me that when the surgeon came out to talk with him when he had completed my surgery, he asked, “How did you restart the heart?” The surgeon said to him, “That is a miracle only God can do – I can repair the heart and re-connect it again, but only God can make it start again”.

God was right there with me that day – because of His love and His healing hands, He guided the surgeon who was able to fix my broken physical heart and then He allowed it to beat again!

God already knew then, that seven years later, my heart would again be broken and in need of repair. Sometimes I think it is next to impossible to repair the brokenness I feel since losing the love of my life, but even Paul was told, My grace is sufficient for you.

I know that He is with me again, this time, holding my broken heart in His nail scarred hands, and gently whispering, “My child – tell your heart beat again!”

Dear Lord, Thank You for the miracle of letting my heart beat again, both physically and emotionally. Do not let me forget that You are in control. Help me to trust You fully as I continue to walk this journey, knowing Your grace is sufficient at all times. Amen