A Time to Heal

I was catching up with a good friend recently and we ended up sharing our stories of the problems and hardships we suffered over the last year. Yet at the end of it all, my friend declared that this year would be a year of healing in her life. And when I stopped to think about it, I realized that just as Ecclesiastes 3:3 says, this may very well be “a time to heal.”

Healing is a process of renewal. It is the way in which we are made whole or restored. For example, when we fall and break our leg, over time, it heals. Using that example, let’s keep in mind that the physical process of healing is not much different from the spiritual one.

First of all, at the point of injury, we cry out for help. Just as a broken leg can lead to an outcry of “Call 911!” an injured spirit cries out to the Lord in prayer (Psalm 6:9). Next, is treatment. Just as only a skilled healthcare professional can attend to a broken leg, we can only trust our personal crises to the master Healer who knows how to straighten out our situation (Proverbs 3:5–6). Then there is the recovery process. Our leg may be set in a cast and we may be instructed to go easy on it for a while. In spiritual healing, we may set aside a period of time for prayer and fasting. We may also need to do some forgiving and letting go of the past for a complete recovery (Colossians 3:13).

An often quoted scripture from Isaiah 53:5 reminds us of the connection between physical and spiritual healing. In speaking of Jesus Christ, the messiah, the passage reads, “But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.”

Jesus paid the ultimate price and gave His life so that we may be healed from the ravages of sin. That’s why we have hope, my brothers and sisters in Christ. Just when we think we’re down, we are not out. We may feel dragged through, but we can make it to the other side. We may get beaten down, but we can get up again. And just when it seems like we’re run over, we find that we can overcome anything.

Let the healing begin!