Healing is usually a process that unfolds over time. Scripture says that Christ was sent to bind up the brokenhearted (Isa. 61:1) and that the Lord is near to the one who has a broken heart (Psa. 34:18). He walks with us through a healing process in which we are required to lean on Him, trust in Him, wait on Him and hold fast to Him. Most of us would choose an instantaneous healing if it were offered us but in that way we would forfeit the opportunity to know God in a deeper and closer way than ever before. It is as we lean on Him for strength and peace in our brokenness that we really can come to know more of the depth of His love, the power of His peace, the wisdom of His plans, and the sufficiency of His grace. Today I am going to start discussing other practical things that should be done to 'dress' the wound while you seek to draw close to the Healer for the mending process.
Pray
Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray.
James 5:13
In my distress I called upon the LORD,
And cried out to my God;
He heard my voice from His temple,
And my cry came before Him, even to His ears.
Psalm 18:6
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.
2 Cor. 1:3-4
God wants us to pour out our hearts before Him. He loves authenticity. He loves our dependence on Him. He is called the God of all comfort (2 Cor. 1:3), the God of peace (Philip. 4:7), and the God of hope (Rom. 15:13). In the place of pain we will find that His Holy Spirit will minister to us while we cry out to Him in prayer - with as many tears as we have bottled up in our heart. Hold nothing back. He is a safe place, and a healing place.
I did not learn to pray with any evident effectiveness until I was going through heartbreak and hardship. There was nothing else and no one else who could help me and it was in these seasons that I learned to draw close to God. I remember making a remarkable discovery during one such season: God was better than all the answers I had been seeking (with regard to the circumstances I was going through). I began by often running off to my bedroom to spend time with Him when pangs of heartache and emotional distress would hit me. As time passed I was eager to spend time with Him because the peace of His presence was so awesome. Nothing compared. I remember eagerly leaving movies unfinished, and removing myself hurriedly from conversations with others, just so that I could get back to my room. Back to a growing relationship with God that exceeded everything I had every experienced.
Worship
You will show me the path of life;
In Your presence is fullness of joy;
At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
Psalm 16:11
In the multitude of my anxieties within me,
Your comforts delight my soul.
Psalm 94:19
Worship takes our eyes off our hurting heart and places them on the beauty and holiness of God. As we turn our eyes to Him, pain loses its voice and we find consolation. We will find hope begin to fill us and faith will rise as our view of who He is, is magnified.
Now, we probably all know that true worship is altogether offered in the way we live our lives before God, but for this point I am referring to specific times spent worshipping God: meditating on His character, listening to and singing songs that exalt His name, and using your heart, your words, your voice to speak out loud of His glorious qualities. The peace that comes with His presence will guard our heart and mind from the perturbations of whatever we are going through. We will find that these times are a healing balm to our own soul and spirit.
At times when I would need to keep my heart and thoughts focused on God, loading a mp3 player with weighty worship music and listening throughout the day has been a great aid to lift my spirits and to keep my emotions in check, guarding me from fear, hopelessness, depression, anxiety or self-pity.
Read the Bible
My soul clings to the dust;
Revive me according to Your word...
My soul melts from heaviness;
Strengthen me according to Your word.
Psalm 119:25, 28
He sent His word and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions.
Psalm 107:20
My son, give attention to my words; incline your ear to my sayings.
Do not let them depart from your eyes; keep them in the midst of your heart;
For they are life to those who find them, and health to all their flesh.
Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life.
Prov. 4:20-23
God's word is a medicine for the whole man, including the heart. And that's just one facet of its amazing power. Because the Bible contains God's word, it will also provide something stable and trustworthy for us to hope in, and stand on, when our heart and life is shaken by circumstances. We will be encouraged by God's recorded work in the lives of the ancient saints who trusted in Him in their own trials. We will learn wisdom about what to do and how to act in the particulars of our own situation. Faith will rise in our hearts as our view of God enlarges and as we learn His promises. We will come to know God more.
I have been through seasons where I have needed to write out specific verses that ministered comfort, peace, and strength to me on little 3"x 5" index cards and keep them in my pocket or bag, just so that I could pull them out to read and memorize. This helped me to get through my day without being emotionally overwhelmed and crushed. Today, with the rise of all sorts of smart phones and gadgets, keeping the Scriptures close at hand has become even easier for those who are willing to put their hope in the life-giving Word of God.
Whom have I in heaven but You?
And there is none upon earth that I desire besides You.
My flesh and my heart fail;
But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
Psalm 73:25, 26
From today's discussion we saw how dependent the healing process is upon specific one on One time with the Lord, who is the Healer of the broken heart. In upcoming related posts, I will share how God will often use other people as instruments in our healing; in addition to other helpful suggestions, and finally, some caution about what not to do.
This is the first post in a series called Healing the Heart. You can find a link to all the posts in the sidebar under labels, or just click here. If using this link be sure to read from the bottom up because they were posted in a specific order to be most useful to you!
No comments:
Post a Comment