160. Bind Up Brokenhearted
Isaiah 61:1b The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because the Lord…has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted.
The Lord anointed the Son, Jesus Christ, and sent him to bind up the brokenhearted. God kept His promise: Jesus came on a mission to do just that. Jesus promises to fix every heart that has been broken. And all hearts have been broken. Every person born of Adam is a sinner banished from Paradise. Sin has broken the dreams of all people. Death has dashed the hopes of everyone who lost Paradise. Satan steals the joy of life from everyone who expected life to be different than it turned out to be. In other words, every person’s heart has been broken, and, worse, everyone has only himself to blame.
The hopes and dreams and ideals of all people have been broken. Disappointment is the common experience of the human condition. Repentance admits: “I made too many mistakes; I screwed up; my life is messed up and its it my own fault.” Faith confesses: “Jesus came to fix it; He is the One who restored the failed hopes and dreams and made them real.” He binds up the brokenhearted. Almost weekly we humans experience disappointment, frustration and brokenness. Hopes are dashed; Jesus gives us hope that doesn’t let us down. Joy is crushed; Jesus restores the joy and gives cause for daily and eternal rejoicing. Peace is stolen; Jesus finds the stealer and brings peace back again. Yes, I broke my heart; Jesus binds it up.
It is hard to admit that everything that is bad and wrong in my life is my own fault because of my own sin. This difficulty makes it hard to believe that Jesus, the Anointed One, came to me to put everything good and right again. This happens every time I hear the Gospel. I am dead, and now I am alive. I am lost, but now am found. I am the sinner, but now I am forgiven. I am condemned to eternal death, but now I am saved for eternal life. I am broken, but now I am bound up.
Take hold of this wonderful promise: Jesus fixes what I broke. He writes straight on my crooked lines. He tidies up the mess I made. He gives the life I killed. He restores the soul that was was crushed. He gives hope in place of despair. He fills the saddened heart with joy. He makes peace in the place of turmoil. He calms and stills the threatening storms of life. He makes a smile in place of tears. He finds what was lost. All of these are promises kept by the Anointed Savior sent to me by the Lord.