Finding Healing in Brokenness: God Sees You

Devotional

Day 1: God Sees You in Your Brokenness

No matter how unseen or insignificant you may feel, God is intimately aware of your pain and your story. Just as Hagar, a servant woman mistreated and cast out, encountered the God who saw her, you too are seen by El Roi—the God who sees. In your moments of running, hiding, or feeling hopeless, God pursues you, meets you where you are, and calls you by name. He is not distant from your suffering; He is present, attentive, and compassionate, offering hope and restoration even in the most desolate places. [11:48]

Genesis 16:9-13 (ESV)
The angel of the Lord said to her, “Return to your mistress and submit to her.” The angel of the Lord also said to her, “I will surely multiply your offspring so that they cannot be numbered for multitude.” And the angel of the Lord said to her, “Behold, you are pregnant and shall bear a son. You shall call his name Ishmael, because the Lord has listened to your affliction. He shall be a wild donkey of a man, his hand against everyone and everyone’s hand against him, and he shall dwell over against all his kinsmen.” So she called the name of the Lord who spoke to her, “You are a God of seeing,” for she said, “Truly here I have seen him who looks after me.”

Reflection: Where in your life do you feel unseen or overlooked, and how might you invite God to meet you in that very place today?

Day 2: Running to God, Not Substitutes

When pain and emptiness come, we are tempted to run to things that promise relief but never truly satisfy—whether it’s entertainment, substances, relationships, or distractions. These “cracked cisterns” cannot hold water and leave us thirstier than before. Only God, the fountain of living water, can truly heal and fill the emptiness in our hearts. Choosing to run to Jesus with our pain, rather than to temporary fixes, is the path to real restoration and life. [04:18]

Jeremiah 2:13 (ESV)
“For my people have committed two evils: they have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, and hewed out cisterns for themselves, broken cisterns that can hold no water.”

Reflection: What is one “cracked cistern” you tend to run to when you’re hurting, and what would it look like to bring that pain to Jesus instead today?

Day 3: Brokenness Strips Away False Supports

A broken heart, though painful, can be a gift because it exposes the things we’ve relied on for fulfillment that were never meant to satisfy us. When our supports are stripped away, we are invited to depend on Jesus more deeply and authentically. In the hardest seasons, faithfulness to God—like Hagar’s and the story of the grieving mother—becomes an anchor that holds us steady, even when nothing else makes sense. Brokenness can lead us to a more genuine, life-giving relationship with Christ. [07:40]

Psalm 34:18 (ESV)
The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.

Reflection: What false supports or sources of fulfillment is God inviting you to let go of so you can depend more fully on Him?

Day 4: Our Hope Is Not in This World

Every earthly relationship, achievement, or possession will eventually let us down, but our hope is anchored in the God who never fails. Broken hearts remind us that we were made for another world, and that our deepest longings can only be satisfied in God’s presence and the promise of eternity with Him. Even as we experience joy and love here, there is a holy longing for the “not yet”—for the fullness of life and justice that only heaven can bring. [15:33]

2 Corinthians 4:16-18 (ESV)
So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.

Reflection: In what area of your life are you tempted to place your hope in something temporary, and how can you shift your focus to the eternal hope found in Christ?

Day 5: Only Jesus Can Truly Heal

No matter what pain you carry—whether in your body, heart, or soul—true healing and fulfillment are found only in Jesus. He invites you to bring your brokenness to Him, not as a quick fix, but as a journey of transformation and restoration. God’s presence brings love, joy, and peace that surpasses understanding, and He promises to make all things right in His time. Don’t leave your pain unaddressed; come to Jesus, trust Him with your wounds, and let Him begin the work of mending your heart. [21:34]

Matthew 11:28-30 (ESV)
“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

Reflection: What is one area of brokenness you need to bring honestly to Jesus today, trusting Him to begin the healing process?

Sermon Summary

God sees each of us personally and intimately, not just as a crowd but as individuals with unique stories, pains, and hopes. Life inevitably brings brokenness—whether it’s physical pain, emotional wounds, or disappointments that accumulate over time. These fractures in our hearts often tempt us to seek comfort in things that cannot truly satisfy: entertainment, substances, relationships, or distractions. Yet, every time we run to something other than God, we find ourselves emptier than before. The truth is, a broken heart can be a gift, because it strips away our false supports and reveals our deep need for Jesus, the only one who can truly heal and fulfill us.

The story of Hagar in Genesis 16 powerfully illustrates this. Hagar, a servant mistreated and cast out, found herself in utter hopelessness. Yet, it was in her lowest moment that God pursued her, revealed Himself as El Roi—the God who sees—and promised her a future. Hagar became the first person in Scripture to name God, not from a place of strength, but from brokenness. This encounter wasn’t just for her; it was a message to all who feel unseen and unheard. God hears every cry of affliction, even when it seems like no one else does.

Brokenness, then, is not a sign of failure or abandonment, but an invitation to deeper dependence on God. It reminds us that our ultimate hope is not found in this world, but in the God who promises justice, healing, and eternal fulfillment. As C.S. Lewis observed, our unmet desires point us to the reality that we were made for another world. While we can experience joy and love here, there will always be a longing that only heaven can satisfy. In the meantime, God invites us to bring our pain to Him, to let Him mend our hearts, and to trust that He will make all things right—even if we don’t see it on this side of eternity.

So, the question is: where are you running with your pain? God wants you to run to Him. He sees you, He loves you, and He is ready to meet you right where you are. Don’t leave carrying a broken heart that He longs to heal.

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Key Takeaways

1. God Sees You in Your Brokenness No matter how invisible or insignificant you may feel, God sees you personally and intimately. Hagar’s story shows that God pursues those who are overlooked and hurting, revealing Himself as El Roi—the God who sees. Even when you feel lost or abandoned, you are never out of His sight or care. [11:48]
2. Brokenness Strips Away False Supports When our hearts are broken, the things we once relied on for fulfillment are exposed as insufficient. This pain, though difficult, is a mercy because it drives us to depend on Jesus rather than on temporary comforts or distractions. True healing and satisfaction are found only in Him, not in the things we often run to. [02:50]
3. Running to God, Not Substitutes, Brings Healing We all have a choice in our pain: to run to God or to run to substitutes that promise relief but never deliver. Whether it’s entertainment, substances, or relationships, these “cisterns” cannot hold water. Only by bringing our brokenness to Jesus do we find the living water that truly satisfies. [04:18]
4. Our Deepest Pain Can Lead to Our Deepest Encounter with God It is often in our lowest moments that God reveals Himself most powerfully. Like Hagar, or like those who have suffered unimaginable loss yet cling to faith, our brokenness can become the place where we most clearly see God’s presence and faithfulness. These encounters are life-changing and anchor us in hope. [07:25]
5. Broken Hearts Remind Us Our Hope Is Not Here Every disappointment and longing points us to the reality that this world cannot fully satisfy us. Our brokenness creates a longing for heaven, where true justice and fulfillment are found. In the meantime, we are invited to trust God’s promise that He will make all things right, even if we don’t see it yet. [15:33]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[01:00] - Opening Prayer and God’s Personal Love
[01:40] - The Accumulation of Pain and Brokenness
[02:50] - Why a Broken Heart Is Better
[03:35] - Where We Run with Our Pain
[04:18] - The Futility of Substitutes
[06:55] - A Testimony of Faith in Loss
[07:25] - Brokenness Draws Us to God
[08:17] - Genesis 16: Hagar’s Story
[09:06] - Hagar’s Encounter with God
[11:48] - El Roi: The God Who Sees Me
[12:47] - God Hears Every Cry
[15:33] - Broken Hearts and the Longing for Heaven
[18:46] - Only Jesus Satisfies
[19:39] - Trusting God’s Justice
[20:18] - Responding to God’s Invitation
[21:34] - Closing Prayer and Invitation

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

Genesis 16:7-13 (ESV) — 7 The angel of the Lord found her by a spring of water in the wilderness, the spring on the way to Shur.
8 And he said, “Hagar, servant of Sarai, where have you come from and where are you going?” She said, “I am fleeing from my mistress Sarai.”
9 The angel of the Lord said to her, “Return to your mistress and submit to her.”
10 The angel of the Lord also said to her, “I will surely multiply your offspring so that they cannot be numbered for multitude.”
11 And the angel of the Lord said to her,
“Behold, you are pregnant
and shall bear a son.
You shall call his name Ishmael,
because the Lord has listened to your affliction.
12 He shall be a wild donkey of a man,
his hand against everyone
and everyone’s hand against him,
and he shall dwell over against all his kinsmen.”
13 So she called the name of the Lord who spoke to her, “You are a God of seeing,” for she said, “Truly here I have seen him who looks after me.”

Jeremiah 2:13 (ESV) — For my people have committed two evils:
they have forsaken me,
the fountain of living waters,
and hewed out cisterns for themselves,
broken cisterns that can hold no water.

2 Corinthians 4:16-18 (ESV) — 16 So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day.
17 For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison,
18 as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.

Observation Questions

In Genesis 16, what was Hagar’s situation when the angel of the Lord found her? What did God promise her in her brokenness? [09:06]
According to Jeremiah 2:13, what does God say His people have done, and what do the “broken cisterns” represent? [04:18]
In 2 Corinthians 4:16-18, what does Paul say about our “outer self” and “inner self,” and how does he describe our present troubles? [15:33]
In the sermon, what did Hagar do that was unique in the Bible, and why is it significant? [11:48]

Interpretation Questions

Why do you think God chose to reveal Himself as “the God who sees” to Hagar, someone who felt invisible and mistreated? What does this say about God’s character? [11:48]
The sermon says, “Broken hearts strip away false supports.” How does pain or disappointment reveal what we’ve been relying on instead of God? [02:50]
Why might God allow us to experience brokenness instead of immediately fixing our pain? What could He be inviting us into through our struggles? [07:25]
How does the idea that “our hope is not here” (from 2 Corinthians 4 and the C.S. Lewis quote) change the way we view our disappointments and longings? [15:33]

Application Questions

The sermon asked, “Where are you running with your pain?” When you feel hurt or empty, what is your first instinct—to run to God or to something else? What does that look like in your life right now? [03:35]
Can you identify a “broken cistern” (Jeremiah 2:13)—a substitute for God—that you tend to run to for comfort? What would it look like to turn away from that and run to Jesus instead? [04:18]
Hagar named God “El Roi”—the God who sees me. When have you felt unseen or overlooked, and how did you experience (or not experience) God’s presence in that time? [11:48]
The sermon shared a story about someone who clung to faith through deep loss. Is there a hard place in your life where you need to trust God more deeply? What would it look like to bring that pain honestly to Him? [07:25]
The message said, “Brokenness creates a longing for heaven.” How does your own pain or disappointment make you long for something more than this world can offer? How can that longing draw you closer to God? [15:33]
The pastor encouraged, “Don’t leave here with a broken heart that He longs to heal.” What step could you take this week to let God begin healing your heart? Is there someone you could ask to pray with you or support you? [20:18]
If you believe God sees you and loves you personally, how might that change the way you approach your struggles, relationships, or even your prayers this week? [01:00]

Sermon Clips

It doesn't seem that big to the people around us, but they don't know the years of things that we're carrying. We walk around brokenhearted. But the reality is, and what we're going to talk about today is, is a broken heart is better because it reminds us that our fulfillment is not found here. [00:02:42] (25 seconds) #HiddenBurdenVisibleStrength

Whenever we feel broken, we feel empty, we feel this hole in our heart. We feel this urge to run a certain way that doesn't, it promises life. This is the way somebody used to say it to me. Is sin or anything short of God promises life but brings slow death. Think about that for a second. Anywhere we run with our pain that isn't Jesus, it promises life but it never delivers. [00:03:57] (31 seconds) #FalsePromisesEmptyHearts

Watching her in that season showed me more about what to do with a broken heart than anything else in this life has. She was faithful to God. Of course she asked, why me? Of course she did. But she never let it dilute her faith in Jesus. That was always the anchor that she came back to. [00:06:55] (23 seconds) #FaithAnchoredInBrokenness

The places where our life is broken draw us to God more than anything ever could, right? That our deepest place of brokenness will show us that Jesus can fill up more than any good time ever could. [00:07:30] (15 seconds) #BrokennessDrawsUsCloser

All of us have been there at one point of our life or another all of us have ran to things again Hagar some people say that she was running back to Egypt her home we don't know where she was going some of us have taken that choice before we've ran to I don't know anywhere but here right God sees us wherever we're running God sees us God meets us. [00:14:03] (30 seconds) #GodSeesEveryRun

Broken hearts remind us that our hope is not here if you are married if you have kids if you have a relationship if you have a friend you know every single one of those will let you down amen our hope the only thing that we can bank on is that the God who doesn't fail. [00:15:52] (20 seconds) #AlreadyNotYetYearning

Brokenness creates a longing for heaven we all will be made right Jesus made us in his image Jesus is is is a god of justice we crave justice and as we know we see things like just what happened last week with the school we want justice how do we even begin to pursue that as as as as a church as people we we're kind of left with question marks almost the only way that we will find justice is in heaven heaven, true justice that lasts. Only Jesus can satisfy now and forever. [00:18:10] (49 seconds) #RunToJesusWithPain

Everybody has pain. Like we began here with today, whether it's a pain of body, carrying around a pain in your heart, your soul is missing something. What if we ran to Jesus with that? [00:19:01] (22 seconds) #GodIsJusticeAndHope

God wants it to be himself. And it's always not an immediate fix. But like I said, God is a God of justice, and I trust and believe that. If it doesn't feel fair right now, I promise, at the end of the day, Jesus will make all things right. It may not make sense good on this side of eternity. God sees you. God will meet you. Whether it's today, next week, whether it was 10 years ago, a broken heart is better because it shows us where true fulfillment is found. [00:19:35] (52 seconds) #HealingOnlyThroughJesus

I would say most things can only be healed through Jesus. So just if you're here today and you feel that, you're going to have to do something and you're going to be all in there. Thank you. Get prayer. Come and do business with God on the altar. But I do believe that God wants to be here today. [00:20:59] (20 seconds)

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