For I will restore health to you, and I will heal your wounds, says the Lord, because they have called you an outcast, saying, This is Zion, whom no one seeks after and for whom no one cares. ~Jeremiah 30:17 (AMP)
Only God can heal our hearts when others hurt and disappoint us. When we are segregated and separated and viewed as an outcast discouragement can seep in like a plaque. Sometimes the enemy comes at us and tempts us to believe we are alone for the very purpose of making us alone. He lies and tries to make us believe we know what other people are thinking by their actions and attitudes, but the truth is when we think we know what others are thinking without them directly communicating it to us we are being deceived. God tells us in 1 Corinthians 2:11 “For who knows a person’s thoughts except their own spirit within them?” (NIV) People aren't perfect and we all get our feelings stepped on at one time or another. Getting your feelings hurt isn’t the same as getting a cut on your hand. You can see the cut on your hand and take care of it. But when the cut is on your heart and you don’t take it to the Lord quickly, it can fester. A festering cut on your finger can cause your whole hand to hurt, but worse than that, it is distracting. When you start focusing on the cut, you start making accommodations for it. You start adjusting your habits, your life, and your responsibilities to avoid the pain. You start working on building a callous or a scar around it or even worse you start numbing your hurt which can quickly turn into addictions. A wounded heart can quickly become a life-changing event!
How many people do you encounter daily who are numbing a heartache in one way or another? Unbeknown to us, these conditions can go on for years and even follow generations. People can pass down the disappointments of a torn up and broken heart that has festered for years to their children and grandchildren just by how they deal with their hurt. How many people do we know that are rough around the edges? You know those gruff ones who don’t seem to let anybody in. Do you look at them as mean and hard or do you look at them as hurt or broken hearted? Broken people need healing and Jesus is our healer. As believers we are the ones God has sent to tell them about Jesus. We are the ones called to pray and fast for strongholds to come down in the lives of those God puts in our path. We all need a testimony to God’s healing power if we want to be a witness so the first thing that we need to do is get healed ourselves. When we go to God with our wounded hearts, the first thing He expects us to do is to forgive. That’s not always what we want to do because it doesn’t feel good on the wound. Just like rubbing ointment on a new cut isn’t comfortable, forgiving can be quite uncomfortable too. But God knows it is the first line of defense against getting the area cleaned up and avoiding any more germs to get in. If we are quick to forgive, the healing comes fast. In Mark 11:25 Jesus said, “And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.” (NIV) God knows unforgiveness is like an infection in your heart. What’s festering in yours today? Let God heal your heart by helping you to forgive and then you can help others do the same!
Forgive our sins, just as we have forgiven those who did wrong to us. ~Matthew 6:12 (ERV)
Do you have some unforgiveness festering in your heart? Have you sought the healer of hearts?
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