The Broken Heart!

May 14, 2026

The Broken Heart!

Some time in the early part of the first century, a woman who seems to have no friends and no family meets Jesus near a public water well.  She is of a different political affiliation, a different social group, a different ethnic-racial group, a different religious perspective, and a different economic standing than Jesus.  She is a woman living in Samaria. 

There are so many barriers that could get in the way of a meaningful conversation with this woman.  We know that any one of these “differences” can become a barrier in our conversation with another person, too.  Sometimes we judge the other person and sometimes the other person judges us because of the differences we perceive stand between us. 

As significant as these differences can be, it is interesting that the one barrier that seems to be the most insurmountable in her conversation with Jesus is her broken heart.  In John 4:16 Jesus says to the woman; “Go, call your husband and come back.”  The woman responds that she is not married but rather is living with a man. 

As their conversation continues, it comes out that the woman has been married and divorced from five different men.  Her heart has been broken so many times and so deeply she cannot trust the man she is living with now enough to make the commitment to marry him. 

A broken heart can get in the way of trusting another person.  For this woman as well as for many of us, a broken heart can also get in the way of trusting Jesus with all of our heart, soul, and mind.   

I encourage you to take some time right now to read John 4:1-26.

When you read this woman’s story, it is clear that in the end she gives her heart, mind, and soul to Jesus as her Savior.  In John 4:29 the woman confesses her new faith in Jesus; “Come and see a man who told me everything I have ever done!  He cannot be the Messiah, can he?”  The woman is already sharing her newly discovered relationship with the Messiah; i.e., the Savior, Jesus!

For most of her life, this woman had not opened her heart to Jesus because person after person had broken her heart, stole her joy, and crushed her hope.  Only a personal encounter with Jesus who is Savior, can bring healing to her heart, restore her joy, and fill her with hope again. 

So transformative is this conversation with Jesus, that she cannot remain quiet.  She tells everyone in the town where she lives that Jesus is the Messiah (i.e., Savior!).

Here are a few questions upon which to reflect this week.

+Is the brokenness in your heart standing in the way of fully giving your heart to Jesus?  What would need to happen for you to open your heart wide open for Jesus to come into your life?

+Is the brokenness in your heart standing in the way of surrendering your will and your life to Jesus as Lord of your life?  What would need to happen for you to go deeper with Jesus as master of your life?

+If Jesus has already healed the brokenness in your heart, could you take some time in the next week to share your story and Jesus’ amazing love with another person?  Write down the name of that person, pray for that person, and set a time to get together with them.

There is no greater joy than the delight that comes when the barriers are destroyed and the brokenness in our heart is healed.  Ask Jesus to heal your heart and then share the delight the Spirit pours into those places with another person.

Take Delight In The Lord!

Doug