Healing for the Broken

He heals the broken hearted

and binds up their wounds.           

                        Psalm 147:3 NIV

 

My husband and I just returned from a mission trip. Along with our son, his family, a pastor friend and ten college students, we joined hundreds of others on South Padre Island, Texas for spring break “Beach Reach” ministry.

 

            Midnight and eight a.m. pancake breakfasts, free rides for anyone needing to travel the five-mile island, and when opportunity arises, a conversation about Jesus Christ and how He changes lives always results in a number of young people, who came to party, giving their hearts and lives to Christ.

 

Baptism in the Gulf

            Broken lives are seen all over the Island. Young people wrapped up in themselves and having what they call “a good time” leads to behavior that, in some instances, changes lives forever. For the fortunate few who come to realize that Christ is what they are searching for, they go home with a fresh start and help from the Beach Reach team to find a local church where they can connect with other Christians and learn to grow in their relationship with Christ.

 

            For most, they go home unchanged. And every year there is at least one that does not go home at all.

 

            One thing that I have learned from these mission trips is that I do not have to leave town and go to another place to find people just like those concentrated groups along the Gulf Coast sand. They are our neighbors, our friends—even our family. Searching. Looking. Striving. Straining. Seeking something to satisfy.

 

            Christian friends, you and I have the answer. Christ! It is in Christ alone that hope is found. We must be “on mission” for Christ right where we are—every day! We must be proactive about telling others that Jesus is the answer for their broken hearts, their struggles and their anxieties.

 

            Today, I challenge you and myself to go out and tell someone that “He heals the broken hearted and binds up their wounds.” Never forget: There is a hurting world just waiting for us to share that there is healing for the broken heart.

 

© Joyce Powell