HEALING AND FORGIVENESS

He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds [Psa 147:3].

We live in an imperfect world with imperfect humans. There are no perfect parents, no perfect friends, and no perfect siblings or spouses. As a result, all of experience trial and pain and go through life wounded and scarred. Without healing and forgiveness, we allow other people’s sinful actions to impact our future. We lash out and hurt others because we are broken and in need of healing. And unless we learn to let God heal our wounds and scars we will never move ahead in our walk with God.

Our God is a God of healing: He himself bore our sins in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; “by his wounds you have been healed.” [1 Pet 2:24]. Opening the wounded places of our hearts is a painful emotional process, but until we allow God’s healing into the harmful events of our past we will never experience true freedom and restoration. The essential precondition for healing is showing mercy and forgiveness towards those who may have wronged you. We must forgive those people who hurt us and show mercy to those who don’t deserve it just as our heavenly Father has shown us mercy.

Your heavenly Father wants to heal the wounded places in your life with his love. Receiving healing for wounds and having the courage to forgive is a constant process. There will always be new wounds for the Lord to heal, but when you allow him to do so you experience fullness of life to greater depths than you ever thought possible. We experience triumph instead of pain, freedom instead of enslavement, and joy instead of anger – the scars in our lives will become symbols of God’s redeeming love rather than reminders of painful events. God’s love will shine radiantly through your life as you offer forgiveness to those in desperate need of his grace.

Is there a past experience, trial, hurtful word, or person still inflicting pain to your life even today? Let your heavenly Father love you and hold you as you invite the Holy Spirit to come and minister healing to the places in your heart that desperately need his healing touch.