Healing The Wounds

"I have loved you everlastingly, so I have kept for you my mercy. I will restore you again, and you shall be rebuilt." - Jeremiah 30:3-4

Around my junior year of college, I was on vacation in the Dominican Republic visiting my family. My parents were playing a video of my 5th birthday party and I seemed so happy. I actually remember some of it. The next day I was flying back to New York and my dad asked to speak to me privately before I left. He told me he was filled with sadness as he watched the video because he wasn't with me in any of the scenes. During that time my father wasn't a follower of Jesus and was more concerned with his own life and lifestyle than he was with his family. He told me he was sorry because he realized instantly that I grew up with an emptiness in my heart since he wasn't really there for me when I was little. I've had him always with me since he was called by Christ when I was about 11 years old, but until he said that to me that day, I never realized I had that pain and loneliness inside of me. As he spoke to me, so tenderly, asking for my forgiveness, I broke down in tears uncontrollably. It was like someone opened a faucet and my heart hurt so badly. I never knew I carried all of that so deeply inside since I was a little girl. We cried together and prayed together asking God to heal all those wounds, all the results of the sins people carry and pass on to someone else.

We all suffer from so many wounds. You have those you know about that are fresh, you have those older ones that have left scars, but you might even have those that you suffered so long ago that your mind has suppressed them. So many people even carry around the sorrows their mothers endured while they were in the womb and don't understand why they find themselves sad and lonely at times. This is why we need so much of Jesus, because He is the cure for all wounds, no matter the cause and no matter how deep. The Lord loves us and wants to see us healed. He has promised to not only heal, but to restore and rebuild us in His Word, and we need to seek that healing. And in His great mercy, He is even capable of taking us back to the beginning to undo those things that have scarred us so deeply. For King Hezekiah, God actually put back the hands of time to restore his life… so what can't your God, who loves you so much, do for you if you ask?

Today's Prayer:
My God, like a loving father, You pick us up when we're hurt and cure our wounds. I feel like a child in Your arms who is vulnerable and needs so much of You to make me better. Please see my pain and be my only joy and consolation. In Jesus' Name we pray, amen.

Go To Confession!

"If we confess our sins, He who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all wickedness." - 1st John 1:9

At the start of Lent, I urged you all to go to confession and wash away sin and the guilt and remorse it causes. Now, just a few days before the start of Holy Week, I want to urge you again if you haven't already. During this week 2,000 years ago, Jesus gave up His life so that you and I could be cleansed of the wrong we do. More importantly, His death wasn't about making us do something to make up for our sins, but to heal us from the pain of sin. God is loving and knows the regret and the heaviness that we inflict upon ourselves when we fall into things we shouldn't have. It leads to conflicts within ourselves, with others, and with God. Through confession, you are bringing to the light those things that need to be washed away, so that in the Name of Jesus Christ you can be forgiven, healed, and brought back into full communion with the Lord… no matter what you've done or how long it's been since your last confession. God is longing to forgive you and heal you.

Since it's the weekend and the start of Holy Week, churches have confession on Saturdays and during most of this week. Please call your church, go online, or look at the bulletin to find out when the sacrament of reconciliation (confession) is being held. Spend time meditating on the areas in your life where you have fallen short and bring those things to the Lord.

Today's Prayer:
Lord Jesus, You died for our sins on the cross and it is only right that we take full advantage of Your sacrifice by confessing our sins. Search me Lord and show me what I need to bring before You for cleansing and healing. In Your Name we pray, amen.

The Cure

"Since she had heard about Jesus, this woman came up behind Him and touched His cloak thinking, 'If I just touch His clothing, I shall get well.'" - Mark 6:27-28

The woman in this passage is very much like you and me. She suffered for about 12 yrs from a disease that would cause her to bleed, and after having spent years and money with doctors, she only got worse. Instead of trying to find another solution, she turned to Jesus. She heard about Him and His works and as sick and weak as she was, she pressed on to reach Him. Jesus at this time was very popular and there were thousands following Him, pressing from all corners just to be next to Him, but choosing to believe in what she heard about Jesus, she had it set in her mind that all she needed to do was just touch His clothing and she did just that! Immediately Jesus felt the power leave Him and asked who touched Him and the woman came forward. Jesus told her, "Daughter, your faith has saved you; go in peace and be free of this illness."

Right now, you maybe have a disease that needs curing. It might not be a physical condition, but something else - a problem in your family, sorrow from issues in a relationship, depression, feeling stuck in your life or not having enough money to pay your bills. This woman turned to Jesus because she chose to believe in Him when she heard about Him. You have heard about Him and if you want healing in your life, you need to get up and push forward to where He is! As sick as she was, she pushed forward because she believed and kept thinking to herself that all she needed was just to touch Him. You need to keep yourself positive and take her as an example. This woman suffered for 12 long years but it wasn't until she decided to look for Jesus that her cure came. Just keep pushing forward through the crowds, through your problems, to find Jesus and be healed. In His answer He first says "your faith has saved you," meaning just that - its your faith that gives you new hope and new life. The second part was "be free of this illness" meaning that if the illness had not gone away, she was saved anyway. Its having your mind, your soul, your hopes set on Jesus that save you and give you peace. Just having heard of Jesus means nothing until you choose to get up from your problems and push forward until you finally break through to where He is. There you will find your cure.

Today's Prayer:
Lord Jesus, You are the cure to all of my sorrows and all of my troubles. In Your love I find healing and strength. Help me to get up to follow you always. In Your Name we pray, Amen.