Lent 1- Heal


A short introduction:
This Lent I am taking part in a photo challenge produced by Rethink Church in America. Although the challenge is to just take a photo based on the word they provide I am going to use the word and the photo in my Lent reflections.



March 1st 2017- Lent 1: Heal

It is very rare for a storm to leave behind no trace of destruction, no mess, no wounds. In the same way, the storms we experience in our own lives often leave us with wounds whether they are small and easily remedied or deep and painful. How we choose to deal with these wounds dictates the process of the healing.

I have recently seen one of these "inspirational image verses" which speaks about how there are some emotional wounds that we can never recover from so we must find our new normal, cover them and adapt to live around them. 
Every person with some basic knowledge of  medical care knows that to leave a flesh wound untreated and ignored is to lead to more problems in the future. The same is true with emotional wounds. To leave them untreated can surely only lead to further pain in the future.

The process of healing can be painful, it can cause us to remember the storm and all the blows that caused us harm but we must be sensitive to what God is telling us to do in the situation as only through following his voice can we find true healing. 

This may come in many forms, forgiveness of other people or even of yourself, often brings freedom from the emotional toil which you can be carrying around unknowingly. Similarly repentance has a way of drawing us closer to God and closer to his healing Spirit. These are just two examples of ways our emotional healing may be found. I am sure there are others but right now I felt they were the two to highlight. 

Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.
James 5:16

The ministry of Christ is evidence of God's healing power. So often when we don't see the healing we want in both the physical and emotional sense we question God's goodness and his power. However, the moment we realise that God wants our healing far more than we want it for ourselves, we access a greater understanding of God's heart for us. 

He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.
Psalm 147:3

God is the same, yesterday, today and forever. If he, in coming to earth, demonstrated his love for us through healing the sick, how much more will he continue to do so now in this moment. 

The tree in the photo does not bury it's wound under it's leaves, hoping it will disappear. Instead it takes care of itself. It trusts it's maker to provide the nutrients and strength it needs to heal properly. 

If you have a wound which you are struggling to deal with, come before God. pray that He would reveal to you what you need to do. He gives strength to the weary and heals the brokenhearted. God has called us into a fullness of life and the sooner we can heal from the wounds of our lives storms the sooner we can experience the fullness he has provided for us.
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