Jesus Wants To Heal Your Heart
The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
he restores my soul. (Psalm 23:1-3).
He heals the brokenhearted
and binds up their wounds. (Psalm 147:3)
Heal me, O Lord, and I will be healed;
save me and I will be saved,
for you are the one I praise. (Jeremiah 17:14)
But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings. (Malachi 4:2)
He welcomed them and spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and healed those who needed healing. (Luke 9:11)
For some reason this has been lost in the recent offerings of the church. Perhaps it has been our pride, which has kept us from admitting that we are broken. Lord knows I've done that for years - probably am still doing it now. Perhaps it is our fear of getting our hopes up; it seems too good to be true. Perhaps it's been the church's almost total focus on sin and the cross. But the Scripture is abundant and clear: Christ came not only to pardon us, but to heal us. He wants the glory restored. So, put the book down for just a moment, and let this sink in: Jesus can, and wants, to heal your heart. What does that rouse in you?
(From Waking The Dead , 134-136 by John Eldredge )
When I first read this, I said, “WOW! Jesus really does want to heal my heart! He wants more than for me to just squeak by and make into Heaven, He wants me to be whole, to be healed. Not to just leave baggage of my past at the cross, but to be healed of the wounds they have caused as well.”
As I entered into recovery I was hoping for freedom from sin, guilt and shame. I am finding these things, what I am also finding that I didn’t expect is how much He desires to restore my heart, how much He desires to heal my heart.
Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly. (-Matt 11:28-30, The Message)
Prior to recovery I had spent tens of thousands of dollars on an education to understand the Bible, Theology and God and 17 years in vocational ministry and missed the heart of Jesus for me in all that time. How sad, to be so close to God and so far at the same time. It took me coming to a such hopeless state in my life that suicide seemed the only answer to NOW understand that He wants to heal wounds that my sin had caused and that I have carried for far to long but also that I was to stubborn to surrender to Him.
I wish I could tell you I have done it all at once and now I have complete victory; that all my wounds are healed, but we both know that would be a lie. Some of the wounds have been healed rather quickly, some I have yet to let go. Each day I learn to understand His heart for me a little more, each day I learn that I can trust Him a little more. This morning was another one of those days when He pulled back the curtain a little bit further and let me see a little more of much His heart is for me, of how much His desire is for me, of how much He is pursuing me. Letting me know again that today I can trust Him, today I can turn one more hurt over to Him.
"If you'll hold on to me for dear life," says God, "I'll get you out of any trouble. I'll give you the best of care if you'll only get to know and trust me. Call me and I'll answer, be at your side in bad times; I'll rescue you, then throw you a party. I'll give you a long life, give you a long drink of salvation!"
(Psalm 91:14, The Message)
Tim, Encourager Coach Fellowship Bible NW Ark CR.
For more information on Celebrate Recovery contact Rodney at 479-659-3679 or roholmstrom@fellowshipnwa.org
He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
he restores my soul. (Psalm 23:1-3).
He heals the brokenhearted
and binds up their wounds. (Psalm 147:3)
Heal me, O Lord, and I will be healed;
save me and I will be saved,
for you are the one I praise. (Jeremiah 17:14)
But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings. (Malachi 4:2)
He welcomed them and spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and healed those who needed healing. (Luke 9:11)
For some reason this has been lost in the recent offerings of the church. Perhaps it has been our pride, which has kept us from admitting that we are broken. Lord knows I've done that for years - probably am still doing it now. Perhaps it is our fear of getting our hopes up; it seems too good to be true. Perhaps it's been the church's almost total focus on sin and the cross. But the Scripture is abundant and clear: Christ came not only to pardon us, but to heal us. He wants the glory restored. So, put the book down for just a moment, and let this sink in: Jesus can, and wants, to heal your heart. What does that rouse in you?
(From Waking The Dead , 134-136 by John Eldredge )
When I first read this, I said, “WOW! Jesus really does want to heal my heart! He wants more than for me to just squeak by and make into Heaven, He wants me to be whole, to be healed. Not to just leave baggage of my past at the cross, but to be healed of the wounds they have caused as well.”
As I entered into recovery I was hoping for freedom from sin, guilt and shame. I am finding these things, what I am also finding that I didn’t expect is how much He desires to restore my heart, how much He desires to heal my heart.
Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly. (-Matt 11:28-30, The Message)
Prior to recovery I had spent tens of thousands of dollars on an education to understand the Bible, Theology and God and 17 years in vocational ministry and missed the heart of Jesus for me in all that time. How sad, to be so close to God and so far at the same time. It took me coming to a such hopeless state in my life that suicide seemed the only answer to NOW understand that He wants to heal wounds that my sin had caused and that I have carried for far to long but also that I was to stubborn to surrender to Him.
I wish I could tell you I have done it all at once and now I have complete victory; that all my wounds are healed, but we both know that would be a lie. Some of the wounds have been healed rather quickly, some I have yet to let go. Each day I learn to understand His heart for me a little more, each day I learn that I can trust Him a little more. This morning was another one of those days when He pulled back the curtain a little bit further and let me see a little more of much His heart is for me, of how much His desire is for me, of how much He is pursuing me. Letting me know again that today I can trust Him, today I can turn one more hurt over to Him.
"If you'll hold on to me for dear life," says God, "I'll get you out of any trouble. I'll give you the best of care if you'll only get to know and trust me. Call me and I'll answer, be at your side in bad times; I'll rescue you, then throw you a party. I'll give you a long life, give you a long drink of salvation!"
(Psalm 91:14, The Message)
Tim, Encourager Coach Fellowship Bible NW Ark CR.
For more information on Celebrate Recovery contact Rodney at 479-659-3679 or roholmstrom@fellowshipnwa.org
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