Title: Words of Healing (34) of Hidden Wounds...
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Words of Healing (34) Healer of Hidden Wounds (Exodus 15:25-26) 2002.05.01.
The two of them went on a missionary journey together. The two of them left their footsteps to God and did their best to preach the gospel as God led them. Sometimes I was starving while wandering in the mountains, and sometimes I met people who rejected the gospel and suffered severe persecution. However, the two of them did their best to preach the gospel of God in time or out of season.
Then one day. I have been traveling across the desert. The two worked hard, but only an endless sandy field appeared in front of them. Then I got lost in the middle of the desert. I spent a few days wandering in the desert. Now the food ran out and there was not even a drop of water left to drink. Later, even the camel he was riding on collapsed from exhaustion.
In the end, the two men had their final prayers to God in the middle of the desert, right before their death. One prayed like this. “God, is this the only result of my diligent preaching of the gospel? How do you make me die of thirst in the middle of the desert?
But another person was different. He prayed like this. “God, I am truly grateful that you have finished all my evangelism here and led me to the eternal home that you have prepared for me.” The first person prayed with resentment, but this person prayed with thanks even before death.
But when they finished praying, an unexpected miracle happened. Not far away, he saw a few palm trees. It was an oasis in the desert. The two looked at the palm tree and ran to it with flags. When they reached under the palm tree, there was a small pool. But the water was almost dry and there was only one or two sips left.
Seeing it, the first person spoke again mixed with resentment. “God, if you want to give me water, you give me plenty. How can I quench my thirst with this little water?”
But the second one was different. He prayed to God like this. “God, even though it is a small amount of water, I was able to quench my thirst with this water, even a little. Thank you so much for extending my life a little more so that I can finally pray to God one more time.”
As we go through life, we live a life where joy and sorrow, joy and suffering, and satisfaction and dissatisfaction intersect. No matter how hard you exercise, train, or study, your grades or performance do not go up because you are in a slump. There are times when we fall into a slump or stagnation not only in our health and performance, but also in our mental and spiritual state.
Saints! There are many things in life that are disappointing and discouraged. There are so many elements around us that disappoint us. Various circumstances, people, and sometimes even yourself, let yourself down. In times like these, you need to be calm and wise. Otherwise, it's easy to complain. It's easy to swear. It is easy to fall into recession. And the more you do, the more likely you are to be unhappy.
When does spiritual stagnation come?
A Christian lives diligently according to the will of God. I went where God told me to go, and I did not go where God told me not to go. I prayed and struggled to live according to the word of God. But I run into difficulties. Then we experience a sudden spiritual stagnation. Why is it me? That person is living a normal life like that, so why do I have to go through this pain?
At this time, we should not sit down, be frustrated, or lie down in a blanket of despair to the extent that we cannot move even a single step. Although we do not know it ourselves, we do not understand or accept it, but God's will is clearly in the midst of it, so we must move forward. The waves in front of us are rushing towards us as if swallowing us up, but because of it, we are not destroyed, and our enemies will be destroyed as a result.
Everyone has big and small wounds.
Have any of you ever grown up without any scars? Everyone will have the scars of growing up, be it small or large. Can anyone grow up without the pain of growing up? Few people will ever fall, never bleed from an injury, or never go to the hospital because of pain. It is rare for a person to have a serious injury and go to the hospital and undergo major surgery, but in life, sometimes you get hurt by a knife while sharpening a pencil, sometimes you get hurt while working in the kitchen, you fall and break a bone, and if you injure your back, lie down for a long time. We all have these painful experiences. But we have deeper wounds than these physical wounds.
How will God heal our hidden wounds? What are hidden wounds? Memories that still hurt you. Do you have any such hidden wounds? Do you have any old memories that still keep hurting you? Do you have any memories of abandonment, of various abuses, or of physical, psychological, or sexual abuse? Do you have any memories of being ridiculed by your friends while you were in school or being severely criticized by people close to you?
Emotional wounds last longer than physical ones
When you meet people, there is no person in the world who doesn't have any scars. Of course, there may be more who are hiding. But it would be hard for us to believe it if we claimed to have lived in a harsh world without any scars of any kind. At the same time, we can also discover that emotional wounds last longer than physical ones. The fact is that physical wounds from wars such as the Vietnam War can be easily healed, but psychological and emotional wounds can take months or years.
But here is the good news. The Bible introduces us to a wonderful healer today. Jesus Christ wants to heal our wounds. No matter what kind of wounds you have, you must surrender yourself to God's healing process. Today's text, Exodus 15, introduces us as the God who heals our God. He is the healer of our broken spirits and the one who binds up our wounds.
The Bible shows us the general principle of God's healing in five steps. The first step is that we have to expose our wounds. In other words, healing is impossible until we face our wounds. The writer of Psalm 39 confesses, “I cannot tell how much pain it has become in me, since I have decided not to vomit my pain.” He confesses that keeping his mouth open did not help solve the problem. Pushing or not facing a problem is never solving a problem. Rather, it will only make it worse.
Human energy is limited.
Living in a sinful world, we will all have experiences of being abused by someone. Each time, people react differently. In some cases, there are people who say, ‘Let’s live without forgetting’. In addition, there are cases where people run away with alcohol or drugs. Or you could live ignoring it, blaming someone, shifting the blame on someone, and saying, “It's because of my father.” And then sometimes it explodes.
The first step to healing wounds is to face our past. Facing past pain, fear, or anger is the first step to healing. That is why we must be honest with ourselves. I also have to look for any problems I have and any old memories that still haunt me. And you have to be honest with God. There is nothing that will make God's eyes round when you reveal your past.
God knows very little about how we have been hurt. He was watching us when we first got hurt. Not only was he watching, he was suffering with us. He was saddened by it with us. So there is nothing new that surprises God with being honest with Him. It is for our own sake that we lay our shame and wounds before God as they are. To achieve our own psychological catharsis. Not only to God, we can surrender our feelings to one person we can trust. It is better to find a good Christian counselor than to anger yourself. Or, if you can meet a trustworthy senior and share your feelings, that is the first step towards a solution. You can never get treatment until you open your wounds.
The second step is to get away from the person who hurt you. You cannot be healed as long as you keep your hatred for that person in your heart. Human emotional energy is also limited. So I decide whether to use this energy to heal my life or to go out with a grudge. A person cannot do both at the same time. You have to make a decision. Do you want to be healed with that energy? Or decide whether to use it in retaliation. Give up your right to get revenge for your good.
Also, retaliation doesn't make your pain go away, it just stays there. The way to heal the wounds in your heart is to forgive the person who hurt you. Forgiveness is the only way. But he may feel that he never deserves forgiveness. I am not telling you to forgive because he deserves it. However, we do not deserve God's forgiveness just because we deserve forgiveness.
Forgive for your own good, not because they deserve forgiveness. Because as long as you are entangled in the hatred of the past, you cannot break free from it. Because that person continues to dominate your life. It's been years since you last saw him, and he's still controlling your life.
The Bible says, “Return evil for evil to no one, but do good in the sight of all men. . . Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath, for it is written, Vengeance is mine, says the Lord, I will repay.” Why do we easily forget these words? It is because we forget that God has seen what has happened to us. So we think we should remember and pay it back. However, the Bible requires that we leave it to God to take revenge.