BROKEN
"He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.
-Isaiah 53:3-5
"Behold, they will crucify him; and after he is laid in a sepulchre for the space of three days he shall rise from the dead, with healing in his wings; and all those who shall believe on his name shall be saved in the kingdom of God. Wherefore, my soul delighteth to prophesy concerning him, for I have seen his day, and my heart doth magnify his holy name."
-2 Nephi 25:13
The Story Behind the Song
I wrote this song for someone I love with all my heart when she was experiencing sorrow and heartache beyond what seemed reasonable to bear. Her story is not mine to share, but the feeling of unbearable pain and heartache, sorrow, and disappointment is one I think so many can relate to, so I wanted to share the song, and hopefully share the feeling of hope that can come even in our darkest, most broken moments. The Savior, Jesus Christ, can pick up all the broken pieces of our lives and build them back into something more beautiful than we ever imagined possible. I loved the conference talk by Sister Amy Wright in the Primary General Presidency, "Christ Heals That Which is Broken." In that talk she said:
"Oftentimes we can find ourselves...patiently—or sometimes impatiently—“wait[ing] upon the Lord.” Waiting to be healed physically or emotionally. Waiting for answers that penetrate the deepest part of our hearts. Waiting for a miracle. Waiting upon the Lord can be a sacred place—a place of polishing and refining where we can come to know the Savior in a deeply personal way. Waiting upon the Lord may also be a place where we find ourselves asking,
“O God, where art thou?”—a place where spiritual perseverance requires us
to exercise faith in Christ by intentionally choosing Him again and again and again.
I know this place, and I understand this type of waiting.
"Exercising faith in Christ means trusting not only in God’s will but also in His timing.
For He knows exactly what we need and precisely when we need it. When we submit to the will of the Lord, we will ultimately receive substantially more than that which we had desired...
We all have something in our lives that is broken that needs to be mended, fixed, or healed.
I testify that there is nothing in your life that is broken that is beyond the curative,
redeeming, and enabling power of Jesus Christ."
LYRICS
So many times I feel alone
Lost in the dark here on my own
Trying to find my way back home
But the choices that I've made
Have led to doubt and pain and fear
And I think it might be easier if I could disappear
How can I endure such pain
That I wonder if my life will ever feel whole again
As I lie here alone on this cold, empty floor
I know that I can't take anymore.
And I am broken
Scattered, and shattered, and I am broken
Broken
And I wonder what's left of me
What am I supposed to be?
Why am I left so alone
Alone and Broken.
But then I catch hold of a thought
a memory of stories I was taught
of a man from Galilee
How with healing in His hands
He raised the dead and calmed the sea
And to all those who would listen came the call,
Come, Follow Me
But the world denied His name
And His majesty and power
Were met with hate and fear and shame
Though the Savior of all, He was mocked and despised
Then lifted on the cross where He died.
And He was broken.
Battered, and beaten, and He was broken
Broken
Nails in His hands and feet
Raised on the cross to bleed
Why was He left so alone?
The Lord was broken.
But in the breaking began
The exaltation of man
Our Savior rose from the grave
And in His mercy He saves
And I am whole
He makes me whole.
No longer broken.
My Savior beside me to help and guide me
He guides me
He hears and answers prayer
I'm in His watchful care
He's never left me alone
He heals what's broken
Now I am home, and I am His
And I am whole.