Have you ever gone through something difficult that left you feeling emotionally beat up? We’ve all had painful experiences at one time or another. Sometimes those hurts turn out to be devastating, and we’re left feeling empty and broken. When something is missing in our lives and we don’t know how to fix it, we need God to put us back together and make us whole again.
Apart from God, human beings are frail. We live in a world filled with people struggling with issues like alcoholism, drug addiction, poor health, emotional or physical abuse, divorce—the list goes on and on. God has already made healing and wholeness on every level available to us; He’s simply waiting for us to come to Him and ask for what He has given us. “Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours” (Mark 11:24, NIV). We need to believe that healing is His will concerning us, and that it will manifest itself in our minds and bodies if we let it.
The “if we let it” part may seem strange to hear, but we actually play a part in our own healing. There are things about the physical body and the mind that even experts in the field don’t understand. However, God’s understanding has no limits; when we have faith in His promises, healing happens. “God, pick up the pieces. Put me back together again. You are my praise!” (Jeremiah 17:14, MSG). We can either agree with His Word and let healing flow, or let doubt keep it from us like a dam holding back water.
In the New Testament, we read about broken people who accepted healing from God. Jesus restored wholeness to a woman who had bled for twelve years (Mark 5:25-29, 34), and also cleansed lepers (Luke 17:12-19). When a centurion begged Him to heal his ill servant, Jesus did so after commending the man’s faith in Him. “When Jesus heard it, he marvelled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel” (Matthew 8:10). In all of these cases, belief in God’s ability and willingness to heal was the common denominator.
Our thoughts play a part in our healing; however, they can also play a part in our destruction. In the Old Testament, King Saul was an example of this. Saul was strong, healthy, and found favor with God, but over time, his jealously and hatred for David consumed him. Saul repeatedly tried to kill David, and in the end, he died a broken and shattered man (1 Samuel 31:1-6).
God wants to heal us, whether our brokenness is physical, emotional, or spiritual. It’s His will concerning us. “Dear friend, I hope all is well with you and that you are as healthy in body as you are strong in spirit” (3 John 1:2, NLT). With this in mind, there’s no reason to settle for anything less.
God easily does things that no doctor can. One touch from Him brings a joy that permeates our entire being. “A happy heart is good medicine and a cheerful mind works healing, but a broken spirit dries up the bones” (Proverbs 17:22, AMPC). The deciding factor is whether we choose to accept the healing He has for us, or push it away.