This is How to Tell Your Heart to Beat Again
Tonight I listened as a friend shared she feels dead inside. Reading God’s Word seems like a chore on her to-do list, and she’s not really praying because she’s not even sure it matters.
We sat at my dining room table, and I wanted to reach over and give her a hug. I totally understood what she is feeling. I remember well the empty feeling of sadness — of wondering if God even cared about my problems because life was just so hard. Maybe He wasn’t real. Maybe I was just wasting my time. Doubt was haunting me.
Friends, the enemy of our souls is such a stinking liar.
I am so thankful for my praying friends who never gave up on me during my season of deep discouragement. One sweet woman showed up at my house every morning for two weeks straight and sat in my kitchen with me. In her beautiful Puerto Rican accent, she said, “Let’s read the Bible now.” This warrior sister gently nudged me in God’s direction and sat across the counter with her sword open quietly reading.
I opened my Bible because she opened hers. She was Jesus with skin on in my life.
For 10 days, I sat in my kitchen and tried to concentrate as I ingested the Word. My brain was on fire with so much noise. I know that now. Looking back I see how I thought God was silent, but I was just too broken to hear Him.
Yet even though I couldn’t discern the voice of God, He was speaking. His words washed over me with grace each morning.
Maybe like me you have more questions than answers today. Maybe you are wondering
- Where is God when your heart is broken into a million pieces?
- Why God hasn’t answered your prayers after all this time?
- What is the purpose for your pain — will anything good come out of your brokenness?
- When will things change? If ever….
Here’s what a learned about the crazy negative voices in my head: I am not dead inside. The resurrected Christ lives in me, and I just need to tell my heart to beat again. (Cue the Danny Gokey theme song here.)
How to Tell Your Heart to Beat Again
Lift up your heart’s cry to your Healer
Consult about every care with the Great Physician. He specializes in bringing dead people back to life.
“Hear my cry, O God; listen to my prayer. From the ends of the earth I call to you, I call as my heart grows faint…” (Psalm 61:1-2, NIV)
Step toward God to find your safe place
Rest is the best remedy for a heart pang. Slow down and let God shelter you with His love.
“…lead me to the rock that is higher than I. For You have been my refuge, a strong tower against the foe. I long to dwell in Your tent forever and take refuge in the shelter of Your wings.” (Psalm 61:2-4)
Keep exercising your faith and following God with reverence
God never forsakes hearts that fully fear Him. When our heart throbs for God’s presence, we are encircled by His protection.
“For you, God, have heard my vows; You have given me the heritage of those who fear Your name. Increase the days of the king’s life, his years for many generations. May he be enthroned in God’s presence forever; appoint your love and faithfulness to protect him.” (Psalm 61:5-7)
To Persevere, persist in making praise the pulse of your life
Worship will oxygenate your heart and help you overcome. As you give thanks and remember God’s faithfulness, His grace and peace will flood you with healing and hope.
“Then I will ever sing in praise of your name and fulfill my vows day after day.” (Psalm 61:8, ESV)
This month, I invite you to join me in a simple morning exercise to fix our focus on God’s faithfulness. For the next 7 days, I am gong to start each morning with this Scriptural prayer:
Lord, I’m fading away. I’m discouraged and lying in the dust; revive me by Your word, just like You promised You would. (Psalm 119:25, TPT)
I’ve created a one-page printable of this simple prayer to help you surrender your heart to God and tap into His strength. Sign up today as a member of the Wildfire Faith Community and grab a copy in our Faith Fuel Library.
As we surrender our bruised hearts to God, He will bind up our wounds (Psalm 147:3) and breathe new life into our weary souls. The brokenness of our past will transform into a new quiet strength. Rather than look within and worry about our problems, God will give us hearts to look out to the hurting. The healing we’ve received will overflow from our hearts to help point others toward hope.
Practice Spiritual CPR: Cry out to God. Persevere in Truth. Remember He is Faithful.
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ARE YOU READY TO FIRE UP YOUR FAITH?
Love this and goes well with my Experiencing God series! I’ll be sharing! What a sweet friend to show up like that for you. I’ve got someone in my life who needs a friend like that. I wish she wasn’t an 8 hour drive away… Blessings!
Loved your post, Liz! — Wish you lived closer. xo
Hi Lyli, this is a great post I’ll be sharing on Twitter and Pinterest. Your linkup today is showing up in the code version, FYI. When I typed in the URL manually I was able to link up, but I thought you’d like to know. Blessings to you!
Thanks, Sarah. Just fixed it
CPR – YES!!! He loves to revive hearts and breathe life into dead souls!! Such a great post, Lyli!!
What a sweet, “real” friend to sit with you like that. Those mentors are sooo important. I had one as well. She stayed with me – well past my tough exterior and into those heart-softened spots. I thank God for her. But mostly? I’m thankful for Him, and Lyli, you’ve done a wonderful job outlining scripture and encouragement for those of us who might be doubting or simply have a tough exterior.
It’s so true that we need to just keep showing up–dead or alive! When we step toward God, He lunges toward us!
Love this post, Lyli! Your titles always draw me in to read more and this one brought me so many good things to say “Amen” to!!!
Oh Girl thank you for letting God use you!!! Your words are so encouraging!!!
I’ve become closer to God in my desert. I can see this now. I’m so very thankful for his warriors that have come along side of me and prayed for me, encouraged me, taking time with me as my wounded soul was and is being healed.
Blessings!!!
Love you, Ivette
#ArmoOn
What a wonderful woman that showed up at your home each day. Truly the hands and feet of Jesus. Thank you for urging me to put God first and to look around for others. Sharing your post.
Lyli–the body of Christ needs to hear this gentle, nonjudgemental, and understanding call to persevere! We all go through times like this and we need real people—friends, loved ones, and even writers to call us to turn toward Jesus even when we just aren’t feeling it!
My post is right with you Lyli, sorry it is not showing up.
you opened your Bible bc she opened hers. profound. coming alongsidedess is the face of Jesus. well said, and well -lived. we minister best when we’ve made it thru the pain and doubt.
This is beautiful, Lyli. God is so good to us. Thank you for the inspiration today. Laurensparks.net
And God whispered into your ear, “This is what Beth needs to hear this week”, and you wrote it so beautifully. XOXOXO
Love you, friend. God’s got you. xo
Lyli – I love your CPR acronym – such a good one to remember ! I also love that God brought a faithful prayer warrior who helped you in your time of need and that in return you are getting to pay it forward to someone else. Thank you for hosting and for sharing such a great encouraging post 🙂 Blessings
C.P.R.-Cry out. Persevere. Remember. I want to imprint this thought on my heart!
Me, too!!!! XO
The strength of your faith is a huge deal to Jesus. For example even the disciples lacked the faith He wanted out of them.
19 Afterward the disciples asked Jesus privately, “Why couldn’t we cast out that demon?”
20 “You don’t have enough faith,” Jesus told them. “I tell you the truth, if you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it would move. Nothing would be impossible.[d]” Matthew 17:19-20.
If the men walking with Him daily seeing all the miracles He performed couldn’t muster up enough faith to do one of their anointed tasks, could we be lacking the faith also?
Ask for whatever you want in prayer, pray a lot, and it will be given to you. (Matthew 21:22)
What we think is faith and what Jesus thinks is faith has a bit of a gap in it. (referring to Matthew 17)
He will shelter you. (Psalm 91)
He is refining us. (Psalm 66:10)
Thanks for hosting!