Ancient Paths: The Path of Healing
Life is full of crossroad moments, where decisions and experiences shape our journey. Sometimes, these moments leave us carrying the weight of our past, burdened by pain, shame, and regret. But here's the good news: God offers us a path to healing, a way to break free from the chains that hold us back. We will explore the power of leaning into God, embracing His healing touch, and discovering the freedom that comes from surrendering our past to Him. We will be using Corinthians 13:4-12:
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evilbut rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
8 Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. 11 When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. 12 For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.
Leaning into God:
These verses give us a road map on how we should treat one another. When faced with pain and hurt, our natural instinct is to run and hide. Shame tells us that we are not worthy of God's love and forgiveness. But here's the truth: God is not interested in our perfection or our ability to hide our pain. He invites us to come to Him just as we are, broken and hurting. He longs to heal us, to restore us, and to set us free. The first step towards healing is to lean into God, to trust Him with our pain, and to allow Him to work in our lives.
Encountering the Living God:
In Exodus 3 we see the calling of Moses. God called him to lead the people of Israel from bondage to freedom and what we're going to find in these verses is that first God needed to walk Moses through a process of healing from what he had experienced to take him into who he was called to be.
Exodus 3:4-7
When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, “Moses! Moses!”
And Moses said, “Here I am.” “Do not come any closer,” God said. “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.” 6 Then he said, “I am the God of your father,[a] the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.” At this, Moses hid his face, because he was afraid to look at God. 7 The Lord said, “I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering.”
This whole encounter leads to Moses saying in verse 11:
But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?”
At this point in Moses’ life he had experienced all kinds of brutality, slavery, frustration, abandonment, hurt, anger, shame, fear. He didn’t believe himself worthy to do this for God. Moses was carrying around the chains of his past, and on some level we are all doing that.
While counseling can be helpful, true healing comes from encountering the living God. He is the one who can touch the deepest parts of our soul and bring transformation. Through prayer, we can experience the supernatural power of God, as He speaks to us in our pain and brings healing to our wounded hearts. Freedom prayer is a powerful tool that allows us to meet God in our pain and receive His healing touch. It is an opportunity to throw down the weight of our past and watch as God transforms it into a symbol of victory and power. Freedom comes across verses like Romans 8 that says there's no condemnation for those who are in Christ.
Reframing our Past:
God does not define us by our past mistakes or the pain we have endured. He sees beyond our brokenness and offers us a new identity in Him. As we surrender our past to Him, He reframes our story, using what once held us back as a tool for His glory. Our past becomes a testimony of His faithfulness, a reminder of His power to bring beauty from ashes. We no longer have to carry the weight of our past; instead, we can walk in the freedom and victory that God offers us.
Embracing the Journey:
Healing is not a one-time event; it is a journey. It requires us to continually lean into God, to trust Him with our pain, and to allow Him to work in our lives. Along the way, we may encounter setbacks and challenges, but we can rest assured that God is with us every step of the way. He is our healer, our restorer, and our guide. As we embrace the path to healing, we can let go of the limitations that our past has placed on us and step into the fullness of who God has called us to be.
The path to healing begins with leaning into God, allowing Him to touch our deepest wounds and bring restoration. It is a journey of surrendering our past to Him, trusting that He can turn our pain into a testimony of His faithfulness. As we embrace this journey, we can walk in the freedom and victory that God offers us. So, let us throw down the weight of our past, run towards God, and experience the transformative power of His love.