The Healing Power Of Service To The Lord In The Midst Of Brokenness

“Seek the kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.” ~ Matthew 6:33

There is a direct correlation between service to the Lord and healing of a wounded heart. When we give to others in the midst of our brokenness, a supernatural healing power is released.

In 2001, before I knew the Lord, my marriage fell apart and my husband and I were separated. We had three small children at the time, and when my husband moved out I was completely broken. You can read more about our story in my book that, Lord willing, ought to be coming out in 2025. This blog post is an excerpt from a chapter of this book.

Once I gave my life to Jesus, everything changed.

During this separation (eighteen months total), I gave my life to Jesus. Once I did, everything changed for me. I began to heal in the most unexpected ways. As I read my Bible more, I began to focus more on what Jesus thought of me, and less on my husband. During our separation the Holy Spirit became my Counselor. And it was the Holy Spirit that encouraged me to have no contact with my double minded husband.

During this time of brokenness, I was surprised that a door opened for me to be of service to the Lord. I had the opportunity to be a co-leader in a 12-step Bible-based recovery ministry my church held. It was based off of John Baker’s Celebrate Recovery Ministry, but the leadership decided to  call it “Faith and Hope .” I, however, did not think I was capable to be a leader because I felt so wounded and incapable.

It was after a Sunday morning church service, when a man I did not know tapped me on my shoulder and asked, “are you Tweeny Randall?” He then said, “I am starting a recovery ministry and your name was given to me to be a small group leader.” Out of mouth came, “I can’t be a leader, I’m a brand-new believer.” I will never forget his response- “Who says you can’t?” he said. This was my first introduction to one of the godliest men I’ve ever met- Frank McGraw. Frank became a dear friend, brother, teacher and mentor to me. He taught me more about Jesus than any book or preacher. Many of his words have encouraged me until this day. Frank went to be with the Lord a few years ago, but his legacy lives on through me and my children.

“Your highest calling as a Christ follower is to walk in love,” Brother Frank would often say.

I met with Frank, and we reached a compromise that I would co-lead and not be a leader right away. Although co-leading seemed easier, it was still quite a stretch for me. At first, I was nervous. I felt inadequate and even unworthy to be in any type of leadership role. After all, my life was not whole. I was separated from my husband and I felt so broken. This, however,  was a big lie from the devil. God equips us for ministry. He does not look at our weaknesses but sees our potential. God’s definition of being a whole person is very different from ours. Service to the Lord in the midst of my sorrow became an avenue of healing.

It’s so interesting that the name of this ministry was named “Faith and Hope.” These are two words that in Jesus, were all I had to hold onto in this season of unknowns. Regardless of the outcome of my marriage. I was determined to stand firm in my newfound faith, and to have faith and hope in my Lord and Savior. I even bought a frame with these words (and love) on it as a reminder of how important it is to always have faith and hope in Jesus, despite our circumstances.

We all need faith and hope to get through the valley of the shadow of death, the trials in life.

Serving God, as a co-leader in the Faith and Hope Recovery Ministry turned out to be a sweet surprise and a breath of fresh air during a season of darkness. I felt blessed to share about the faith and hope in Christ I had found with others. As I gave to others, my focus shifted off my own pain. It helped me rise above what I was going through.

I also began to minister to individual women from my small group. This became a huge blessing to me as well. Even though I was broken, I had strong faith. God was able to use my faith (I now know it’s a spiritual gift of mine) to help women to focus on Jesus and what He has to say about them and to take their attention of their sorrow. It’s true what the Bible says, that God’s grace is all we need. His power works best in our weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9)!

Focusing on ourselves- our circumstances, pain, and anger, robs us of our peace and joy.

God’s plan is always for us to help others and think of them first. In Matthew 6:33 Jesus gives this command: “Seek the kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and He will give you everything you need.” Service to the Lord in the midst of our own pain, and helping others draw into a deeper relationship with Christ, is living for God’s kingdom. There is a direct correlation between service to the Lord, and healing a wounded heart. The more you give of yourself by serving others, the more your strength in Christ increases, which then pours out God’s peace into your heart. This is a peace that is supernatural. Philippians 4:7 tells us, “Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.“

 It’s a funny thing though, because it is directly against our human nature to want to help others when we are hurting. The temptation is to dwell on our painful circumstances and wallow in our sorrow. It is a more comfortable place to be.

Satan’s lie is that by focusing on our circumstances will somehow bring us comfort and peace.

The exact opposite is true. The more we take our focus off our circumstances, and the more we focus on the things that matter to God (other hurting people), the more healing we will experience. This was my exact experience. Even though I was heartbroken about my marital situation, as I led a small group of women in a group for codependent women, and discipled many too, I felt God’s delight over me. As I served the Lord this way, I found an overwhelming peace and joy. It felt invigorating to help my sisters in Christ with their suffering. It felt so good to be used by God in this way. It’s like the Bible tells us, in Proverbs 11:25, “Those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed.”

I encourage you if you are in a season of brokenness to get your mind off your circumstances. Find a way to serve the Lord. You can serve God in your church, your community or with friends and/or family. There are many opportunities to advance the kingdom of God. You may be broken and hurting right now, and of course there is a time of grieving and healing, but when you can, even if you do not feel like it, push through your emotions and step out in faith to serve God. In my experience, I found so much healing for my wounded heart, by serving God through loving and caring for others. I’m confident you will too.  

“Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people.” ~ Colossians 3:23