Isaiah 43:1-3
But now thus says the Lord, he who created you... he who formed you...
"Fear not, for I have redeemed you;
I have called you by name, you are mine.
When you pass through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you;
When you walk through the fire you shall not be burned,
and the flame shall not consume you"
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i think it's understood that the prerequisite for healing is being wounded or unwell. let's go from there.
since everyone has wounds, we're in this together. it can be that part of you that goes (and will continue to go) unmentioned. there are so many different kinds of venues for hurt. the seas of doubt, untold secrets, all kinds of painful memories, loss or fear or insecurities that can rage inside. other hurt is in the form of calloused, numb and cracked parts that exist like embers of an old fire in a slow burn from a once furious blaze. it's exhausting. it's lonely.
HARK. "You, my brothers, were called to be free!" Galatians 5:13
the beautiful part of the family of God is what happens in it when a member suffers. the norm of suffering, of course, is to attend to the hurting individual, 'make the bleeding stop', and comfort them in their pain. there's a next step that i've seen and am blessed by within the "family" context: Love joins into another's suffering. Furthermore, I believe God gives us examples and heroes of our faith to guide us through our suffering. God uses others to minister to us when we suffer.
Jeremiah 3:15 'I will give you shepherds after my own heart, who will feed you with knowledge and understanding'
It's hard to believe that the pain we feel is beneficial. I think most of the time I don't trust that "God has a plan for my life". Our society tells us that 'what goes around comes around' and that we offended someone, and 'making amends' will solve the trouble of suffering. There is no doubt that making amends will aid in the process of healing, however, true heart healing comes from .
In May of this year, I sat on a bed in a small one-room building in the beautiful land of Jamaica, reunited with my dear friend Agnes after 5 years. After singing a few songs with her from her small, well-used black hymn book, she asked that I read Ezekiel 37 to her. Though I don't know that I had never read this passage on "The Valley of Dry Bones" before, after reading it aloud for her, I was blown away by the message that Agnes held so dear in the confines of the infirmary where she lived.
Ezekiel 37
God asks:
"Son of Man, can these bones live?" (v.3)
Textbook answer:
"Oh Lord God, you know" (v.4)
God's promise:
"I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live... you shall know I am the Lord...." (v.5)
Our disbelief:
"Our bones are dried up, our hope is lost; we are clean cut off" (v.11)
God's repeats:
"I will put my Spirit within you, and you shall live... then you shall know that I am the Lord; I have spoken, and I will do it" (v.14)
Agnes: "Amen... Praise God... yes... shall live!! Amen..."
My Jamaican sister, sitting on the same bed for the last 5 years and probably many more previously, finds hope in knowing that her dry bones, her present suffering, is not the end for her. Her God has promised restoration and claiming this as her very own, Agnes rejoices in her present suffering.
Isaiah 5:8 'For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord, for as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts"
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Healer - by: Kari Jobe
you hold my every moment
you calm my raging seas
you walk with me through fire
and heal all my disease
i trust in You
i believe you are all i need
i believe you're my portion
i believe you're more than enough for me
Jesus, you're all i need
nothing is impossible for You
You hold my world in Your hands
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Isaiah 51:11
"And the ransomed of the Lord shall return and come to Zion with singing;
everlasting joy shall be upon their heads;
they shall obtain gladness and joy,
and sorry and sighing shall flee away"
thanks rach!
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