This list gives you King James Version verses for the experience of brokenness, whether that means a shattered heart, a failed plan, a relationship that has come apart, or a body and spirit worn thin. It is written for anyone who wants to read Scripture slowly and find where God meets people in their pain. The verses below share one conviction: the Lord draws near to those who are hurting, and He does not waste what is broken.
Verses for a Heart That Feels Shattered
When grief or disappointment leaves your chest feeling hollow, these passages speak to the nearness of God. They do not hurry you past the ache. Read them slowly, and let the words sit before you move on.
Psalm 34:18
The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.
(KJV)
David wrote this after a dangerous season of his own life, so the promise comes from lived experience. Try saying the first half aloud when you wake up tired and sad, then name one specific hurt to the Lord before your phone or your to-do list gets your attention.
Psalm 147:3
He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds.
(KJV)
The verse pictures God as a physician tending wounds that no one else can see. Write the word “healer” on a note card and keep it where you will pass it during the day, reminding yourself that tending is His work, not yours.
Lamentations 3:22-23
22 It is of the LORD’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. 23 They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.
(KJV)
Jeremiah wrote these lines while Jerusalem lay in ruins, yet he found fresh mercy every morning. When today feels heavy, look for one small mercy before lunch, such as a kind word or a quiet moment, and thank God for it by name.
Verses for Rebuilding After a Loss
Brokenness often leaves behind a question of what can be rebuilt. These verses speak to restoration, not as a quick fix, but as God’s patient work in the places that have cracked.
Isaiah 61:1
The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound…
(KJV)
This passage describes a commission to bind up the brokenhearted, which Jesus later read aloud in the synagogue at Nazareth. Consider how the Lord sends His people toward others in pain, and ask Him whether there is someone you can gently comfort this week.
Psalm 51:17
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.
(KJV)
David’s prayer after his sin with Bathsheba shows that God does not despise a humble and contrite heart. Before you bring a failure or regret to Him, speak plainly and honestly, without dressing it up, and trust that He receives that kind of offering.
2 Corinthians 4:8-9
8 We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; 9 Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed…
(KJV)
Paul lists pressures that crushed him and yet did not finish him. Notice how the verse holds both the strain and the survival in one breath. Write down the pressure you are carrying now and beside it the word “not” as a reminder that it does not have the final say.
Verses for When Your Strength Is Gone
Some seasons of brokenness show up in the body and in exhaustion. These passages address weariness and the strength God gives when your own runs out.
Isaiah 40:29
He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.
(KJV)
Isaiah speaks of God giving power to the faint and weary. Before you start a task you dread, pause and admit that you cannot do it alone, then ask for the strength you lack rather than pretending you have enough.
Matthew 11:28-29
28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
(KJV)
Jesus invites the weary and heavy laden to come to Him and find rest. At the end of a draining day, sit somewhere quiet, set down what you have been carrying, and pray that single sentence until the noise in your head begins to settle.
Psalm 73:26
My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever.
(KJV)
Asaph confesses that his flesh and heart fail, yet God remains the strength of his heart. When your body or mind feels worn out, name the one thing that is still steady, which is God Himself, and let that be the anchor for the next hour.
How to Use These Verses
Write a few of these verses on cards, in a journal, or as a note on your phone so they are ready when brokenness hits unexpectedly. Choose one verse each morning and carry it into the day rather than reading the whole list at once. Repetition in small doses tends to work deeper than a long reading you forget by noon.
When you pray these verses, read the reference aloud, then speak back what the passage says in your own honest words. Do not feel you must feel better before you pray. Scripture gives you language for the broken places, and the Lord hears you in the middle of them.
A Short Prayer for Brokenness
Lord, You see the pieces of my life that I have tried to hide, and You are not surprised by any of them. I bring You the grief I have not finished crying over and the disappointments I have quietly carried for too long. Draw near to me in the places that ache, and bind up what is torn in ways only You can. Give me strength for this day, and rest for the parts of me that are weary. Thank You that You do not waste what is broken in Your hands. Amen.
