“And how can you mend a broken heart?
How can you stop the rain from falling down?
How can you stop the sun from shining?
What makes the world go round?
How can you mend this broken man?
How can a loser ever win?
Please help me mend my broken heart and let me live again.”
Robin Hugh Gibb and Barry Gibb
To watch an listen to this video song, please click on the arrow in the middle of the image below. To watch it full screen, click in the box in the right hand corner.
Some of us grew up listening to this song. I did. It asks some very intriguing questions about the healing of the broken places in our hearts.
Now compare what Robin & Barry ask to what Jesus promised as He began His earthly ministry. Reading from the Old Testament text of Isaiah 61, the Messiah proclaimed, The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed Luke 4:18 (NKJV).
An important facet of the gospel message that Jesus promised included the healing of the brokenhearted as well as liberty to the captives and oppressed. Throughout much of church history, this component of Jesus’ message has been neglected, but in this generation God seems to be placing it as a centerfold to what He is doing in the hearts of His people in every nation and people group of our world.
A few questions for us the blog about:
1. How has God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit met you in the mending of the broken places in your broken heart?
2. Where has He emancipated you from inner oppression and captivity?
3. What questions do you have about His healing process?
I was wondering what your thoughts were on "seasons of meeting Jesus in the broken places." It seems to me that healing is a lifelong process, that we should be open to God revealing deeper levels of brokenness for the rest of our lives i.e - listening prayer should be a life skill, not something we apply for just a few months of intense healing. Although of course, we can go through intense seasons where He works actively and on a number of issues all at once.
ReplyDeleteI guess my question is, and maybe I'm looking for encouragement here... can you speak to the seasonality of healing? Do we go through times where we dig deep into our hearts and then get a rest for a while, getting to come back to normal life for a bit before plunging back in? I know we should always be open to His leading, but it seems that this sort of thing is a bit to intense to be a part of our 'everyday' walk with Jesus.
I am formulating some of my thoughts on this topic and was interested in yours. Thanks Rusty.
In Jesus,
Deanna
Deanna,
ReplyDeleteThanks for your thoughtful comments and questions. I'd be very interested in seeing the thoughts you are formulating about this area.
I agree with you that inner healing is a lifelong process. There is also an ultimate healing we will experience when we go home to be with Jesus where we turn in our aging bodies for a brand new one that is not inhabited by sin. All healing this side of eternity is partial and somewhat incomplete. There is a "groaning" we experience while we are in this tent that Paul alluded to in 2 Corinthians 5.
Nonetheless, the healing from the effects of living and growing up in a broken world is an area that Jesus was so passionate about that he mentioned it in his first public appearance in the synagogue in Nazareth. When the area God heals has to do with lies we’ve believed regarding our identity, the change will usually be life altering.
For most of us healing is seasonal. We are triggered about an area of need and we go to Jesus. We listen to Him and He takes us to the exact area of need, speaks His truth to us in a personal way, and brings a significant level of healing. THEN, we go on and live for Him in our day-to-day life. Sometimes as we walk the healing out, we realize there is more that God has for us … so we meet with Him again.
After a while, another area will probably come up in the form of a trigger. We overreact in a painful situation or realize we aren't free in an important area of life. So we go to Him again.
Some of us will spend days, weeks, months, or even years in the beginning of our healing process because of the severity of the wounding we’ve experienced. For others, we may find the relief we are looking for with two or three times alone with God or with a facilitator. Everyone’s healing and journey is very special and unique. No two healings or journeys are the same.
In my own healing, I became keenly aware of deficits I had experienced growing up in 1989. At the time, I didn’t know about healing prayer or listening to God. I was helped by books I read and by talking to God, but my healing in these areas of woundedness did not take place until I started to deliberately listen to God in the late 90’s. Since the healing was from of sense of inferiority and a low sense of worth, when God spoke to me about my value in His eyes, the change was pretty radical. I thought I was healed through and through. But as I walked it out, about two years later, another area came to my attention.
I am developing a lifestyle of listening to God much in the same way that I began meeting with God to have a quiet time each morning in the early 70’s. Most of these times are not focused on my healing. They are more about intimacy with Him, direction, encouragement in the work I am doing, and relationships with my family and friends.
I hope this helps. Let me know if you have more questions. I’d also love seeing comments, insights, and experiences from other bloggers.
Learning to listen and live a Christ-centered life,
Rusty