Healing the Brokenhearted

Healing the Brokenhearted

Happy are those whose help is the God of Jacob,
  whose hope is in the Lord their God,
who made heaven and earth,
  the sea, and all that is in them;
who keeps faith for ever;
  who executes justice for the oppressed;
  who gives food to the hungry.

The Lord sets the prisoners free;
  the Lord opens the eyes of the blind.
The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down;
  the Lord loves the righteous.
The Lord watches over the strangers;
  he upholds the orphan and the widow,
  but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.

The Lord will reign for ever,
  your God, O Zion, for all generations.
Praise the Lord!

Psalm 146:5-10

Today is the 10th of December: it is both International Human Rights Day when we remember the signing of the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights, and the last day of the 16 Days of Activism to end violence against women and children. The day is to raise awareness about fundamental human rights and freedoms, promoting equality, justice and dignity for all individuals worldwide, to promote human flourishing. 

But this year we have been reminded on so many occasions that human flourishing is not what so many people in our world are experiencing. War, famine, oppression and the ongoing destructive impacts on women and children experiencing domestic violence. Advent is the season when we look back to what Christ our King has done for us, and we look forward to all that He will do when he returns - when there will be no more crying or pain, when justice will be finalised for God's children.

But right now, in this ‘in between’ season of longing and hope, we need God's words of comfort - to know that he sees our pain and will hold us. So, hear these words of comfort from Psalm 143 (NLT)

But joyful are those who have the God of Jacob as their helper,
    whose hope is in the Lord their God.
He made heaven and earth,
    the sea, and everything in them.
    He keeps every promise forever.
He gives justice to the oppressed
    and food to the hungry.
The Lord frees the prisoners.
     The Lord opens the eyes of the blind.
The Lord lifts up those who are weighed down.
    The Lord loves the godly.
The Lord protects the foreigners among us.
    He cares for the orphans and widows,
    but he frustrates the plans of the wicked.

The Lord will reign forever.
    He will be your God, O believer, throughout the generations.

Praise the Lord!

I love how God is described through so many words of action in this psalm! This is not the God who stands idly by, watching our suffering from afar. This is the mighty God who made all things and keeps every promise forever. He is no fickle God who changes his plans from day to day as we have seen some political leaders do. But not only is our God powerful - He has compassion on all He has made. He sees the broken-hearted and acts on their behalf. He works justice for the oppressed, feeds the hungry, sets prisoners free, opens blinded eyes, provides care and protection for the foreigner, the fatherless, the widow - those who are most vulnerable in our world. 

And the plans of the wicked He will frustrate. 

It can be hard to be joyful in the midst of suffering and oppression - in fact it seems inappropriate to even suggest it. But in God’s deep abiding faithfulness, in the knowledge that our God is an active God, I find the hope and strength to continue - knowing that together as the Church we are called to be His light in this world, and like Him, to continue to work for justice, to set prisoners free and to lift up the oppressed. In this season of longing and waiting, may we daily see glimpses of our God's love and light breaking through, for it is in Him that not only humans but all creation will truly flourish.

God of grace and mercy, we thank you that you see the broken hearted, you lift up those who are bowed down and you actively work for justice. We thank you for  institutions that are working for human flourishing. May we as your people, trusting in your faithfulness, open our eyes to see where you are at work and how we can join in.

May this season of Advent renew us in trust and hope.

Through Christ our Lord, Amen.

Lynda Dunstan is a professional supervisor and Domestic and Family Violence trainer with over 15 years’ experience. She is passionate about supporting survivors and helping churches respond to domestic abuse with compassion, wisdom, and hope. Lynda is the editor of Renew: An Australian Guide for Christian Women Survivors of Domestic Abuse and worships at Northside Baptist Church in Sydney.

This devotional is the tenth in a series of daily email devotionals for Advent 2025 reflecting on the realities of our broken world along with the unshakable hope that love still breaks through. It explores how God’s love disrupts, heals, and transforms—breaking through darkness, despair, and injustice to bring light, joy, and renewal.

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Common Grace is a diverse movement of individuals, churches and communities passionate about Jesus and justice. We have come together as those from different Christian traditions who stand in the continuity of the historic Christian faith, centred on the life, death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ as witnessed to in holy scripture. This series highlights the diversity of followers of Jesus across these lands. These voices may not agree with one another (or with you), but they are each an expression of longing for the God whose love we see break through in Jesus.

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