King Jesus Has the Power to Heal

The Lord is performing some hands-on work on our family right now. At times, we definitely feel like clay in the hands of a potter as He pounds, shapes and works the clay into what He wants us to look like. And if I can say so, it has not been an entirely pleasant experience but we know that it has been a necessary one.  But, that's not necessarily a bad thing either!  An experienced, godly pastor is helping us work through the mounds of garbage and other junk which we have tried to shove in a closet and forget about.  I will try not to go into specifics, but I believe that we have begun the healing process for this very complicated and difficult situation. As the description on our blog states, we do not have this life thing figured out but we are slowly learning.

We have all been wounded in one way or another. Some wounds are self inflicted due to our very own sin nature. Others are forced upon us. Our wounds may also have been the result of an unintentional act.  The unintentional act may have been real or possibly we just believe that another person offended us.  Either way though, this type of offense can typically be handled with a cordial discussion. Examples of these could be when we feel like we should have been invited to an outing. It could be when we felt ignored because somebody at church didn't say “hi” to us. There likely was no intent to exclude or ignore you by that person.  If we are truly honest with ourselves, we would repent of our pride, stop thinking that their world revolves around us and give them the benefit of the doubt.


We can wound another from actions, inaction, words said and words which were never said or possibly not said enough.  Typically, the people we wound the most frequently and grievously are often those who live in our own home.  This is probably because these are also the people which we take for granted.  Needless to say, due to the amount of time we spend together, it is inevitable that we will offend those in our home. And when (not if) we do offend, we need to have a heart which is willing to say "I'm sorry".  Some other words which should be said regularly to each other in the home are: "I love you", "Please forgive me", "I forgive you", "thank you" and "good job".  We need to say words which edify, build up and heal, not words which tear down and inflict emotional pain.  Like our accounts with the Lord, we need to keep our list of unrepented sins against our family as short as possible.  We should also remember that our actions speak louder than our words. When our actions contradict our words, our spouse and children will likely believe our actions over our words. I can say “I love you” until I am blue in the face, but if I habitually degrade and humiliate my wife or children they will not believe my hollow, empty words.


Some wounds could be the result of systematic patterns of abuse by somebody in authority over us at some point in our lives.  The abuse can be physical, mental, sexual and even spiritual in nature.  When there is a systematic pattern of abuse, the wounds run deeper and the recovery process is more difficult. It often requires peeling back layers and layers of pain, anger, fear and resentment like an onion. These wounds are often the most traumatic because they are caused by those who who are supposed to love and protect us. Let me just say that if any of your children live in regular fear of you, you are doing something horribly wrong as a parent. Yes, children need to respect their parents.  However, as parents we need to be careful to not give them sufficient reason to not respect us.  A parent's inconsistency, anger and rage will bear bad fruit. These will likely cause our children to grow up hating their home and when they are able to "escape" from our grasp, they will run.  If we, as parents, cannot control ourselves, how can we reasonably expect our children to control themselves.  Be firm, but give them love, grace and consistency. Do as I say and as I do are critical. Otherwise, we are seen as hypocrites in their eyes.  (and rightfully so)  


Regardless of how we have received our wounds, the healing of those wounds can only truly begin when we humble ourselves at the foot of the Cross. It's not just a one-time visit. For it to be its most effective, we must consciously make the trip every single day of our lives. Our wounds are the result of sin, which is the transgression against a Holy God. Whether we were the victim, co-conspirator, or we can only honestly blame ourselves, it doesn’t matter because it is only Christ who can heal us perfectly. He can, and typically does, use those around us to help us heal but ultimately only He can provide the soothing balm of the Gospel to our wounds. Only HE knows how to use our scars for our good and His glory.  Romans 8:28 reminds us that He will work everything together for good. 
And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.  (Rom 8:28 NASB) 


Our pastor used this analogy a few months ago. "In the blender of life, what happens to us and our responses to it get mixed up and blended together. It's hard to see what came from what."  When somebody wounds us, our response to it gets thrown into the blender. Our response could be holy or sinful. It may even change from day to day or possibly from hour to hour. Through many tears, by immersing ourselves in the Scriptures, with the aid of a sound Biblical counselor, and by God's glorious grace, the healing process can begin. When we have been grievously wounded, we need to take time to allow the Lord to heal us. Sometimes, that may mean temporarily breaking ties from those who have wounded us. When family is involved, innocent family members may be affected by the breaking of ties.  Ecc 3:1 tells us that there is a season for everything. Verse 3 specifies that there is a time to heal. We simply cannot ignore our wounds and sweep them under the carpet. If we try to avoid the season of healing, it is unlikely that we will properly heal. As we begin to heal, the ultimate goal should be to get to the point where we are not defined by our wounds but we are defined by how Christ has used our wounds to conform us more into the image of Himself. God’s grace has the power to heal.

But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, And by His scourging we are healed. (Isa 53:5 NASB)


Jesus desires to make us whole and for those who respond in obedience to the Gospel, He will make us completely and perfectly whole one glorious day.  Praise God that our Savior, Mediator and King Jesus has the power to do just that!