I was watching a YouTube video that reminded me of my time in the operating room. I worked in that position for about eleven years and saw things that were so amazing it was hard to believe. The video told a story of a pastor and a heart surgeon. The pastor had always found surgery fascinating and inquired about seeing a heart surgery. The surgeon agreed, and so as the pastor watched in awe.
If you are not familiar with heart surgery normally the person is put on a bypass machine, which takes care of pumping the blood and the lungs. This allows the surgeon to take the heart out and repair it. Once the heart is placed securely back into the chest cavity the surgeon will shock the heart in order to restart a rhythmic beat. This is exactly what happened in the story. The pastor watched as the surgeon held the woman’s heart with care, repaired it, and gently located it back into the body. However, when it came time for the woman’s heart to beat again it did not. The pastor said he watched as the surgeon did something so unexpected. He gently leaned down and spoke softly to the woman. He said, “Ms. Johnson this is your surgeon. I have repaired your heart. Now, I need you to tell your heart to beat again.” As the words left his mouth the woman’s heart began to beat. Out of this experience came the song Tell Your Heart to Beat Again.
I love this story! It is such a picture of God’s ultimate restoration for us. At times in life our heart may be shattered into a million pieces. Sometimes it may be from loss, broken relationships, and unforgiveness. Satan whispers lies to us that we can never recover, we can never be the same, that relationship can never be healed, but Jesus’ Christ blood ran red on the cross to tell us it can. Jesus died on the cross for us for an eternal hope. No matter what goes on in our lives we have the promise, if we are His, He will never forsake us or leave us. After watching this video I imagine God as the Great Physician bending down holding our heart in his hands so carefully as He repairs it. Just as the surgeon told the lady her heart was repaired now it was up to her to make it beat. I can see the Lord gently whisper, “I have repaired your heart, but now you have to decide what you will do. Will your trust my repair, or will you stay broken and alone because you have pushed Me away? Will you trust the cross will forgive any sin you have committed? Will you trust the cross will give you the ability to forgive anyone who has wronged you? Will you trust the cross will give you enough love to repair any relationship? Will you trust the cross can overcome the pain of loss because it promises a reunion in heaven? Will you believe the cross is enough?”
As Christians we say we trust in the Lord, but are we truly living it out?
Mathew 17:20 He replied, “Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”
John 11:25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; 26 and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?”
Isaiah 41:10 fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
Galatians 5 “For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.”
You're shattered
Like you've never been before
The life you knew
In a thousand pieces on the floor
And words fall short in times like these
When this world drives you to your knees
You think you're never gonna get back
To the you that used to be
Tell your heart to beat again
Close your eyes and breathe it in
Let the shadows fall away
Step into the light of grace
Yesterday's a closing door
You don't live there anymore
Say goodbye to where you've been
And tell your heart to beat again
Let every heartbreak
And every scar
Be a picture that reminds you
Who has carried you this far
'Cause love sees farther than you ever could
In this moment heaven's working
Everything for your good
“But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8
“For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.” Galatians 5
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