wonder if healing is really possible. Whether it’s physical, emotional, or
spiritual healing, we’re all desperately searching for relief.
How do you
go about it?
On November 5, 2006, a drunk
driver traveling more than eighty miles per hour struck our van head-on. In an
instant, my husband, my two children, and I were physically broken, crushed in
countless ways. My daughter, Jen, wasn’t expected to live through the night
because of traumatic brain injuries and multiple skull fractures. She remained
in a coma for five weeks, and months passed before we were all reunited. Today
our lives don’t look like they once did, and they never will.
In the
years following our car accident, the one thing that would bring me comfort was
to think about how God allowed his innocent Son to suffer and die on the cross
for me. As I begged God for healing, I started listening very carefully to the
words Jesus spoke when He was in those final hours of suffering.
Even
though the cross is a one-time act of redemption, Jesus’s final words have also
become a crucial part of my daily healing.
Jesus Final Words – A Unique
Healing Prescription
“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
(Matt. 27:46; Mark 15:34).
In his deity, Jesus knew the heart and mind of
God. He didn’t need to ask why. But Jesus was also a man. He felt pain just as
we do. It’s comforting to know that when He hurt the most, He had to ask
“why?”
By asking why, Jesus gave us permission to bring our tough
questions to God. Because He asked why, we don’t need to be ashamed of our own
doubts and fears. God isn’t angered because we need more answers. In fact, our
tough questions may be the very thing that draws us closer to Him.
If you
were standing before God right now, what would you ask Him?
Satan
controls what we keep hidden in darkness, but when we bring our wounds into the
light, Satan no longer has power over them. Jesus is the light! When we
acknowledge our pain, He begins to heal us. Go ahead, ask Him!
“Father, forgive them, for they do not
know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34).
While they were still driving the
nails into His hands, Jesus said out loud, “Father, forgive them.” He refused to
let any bitterness take root. I suspect He was teaching us that the sooner we
forgive, the better.
Maybe someone who was supposed to protect you and
keep you safe hurt you. Abused you. Destroyed your security. You might be
thinking, It’s impossible to forgive. You’re right! I don’t think we can forgive
in our own strength. We need to ask God our Father to help us.
My
daughter, Jen, says it like this: “Take people off your hook and put them on
God’s hook. Then you will be free!”
“Truly I tell you, today you will be with me
in paradise” (Luke 23:43).
One of the criminals hanging next to Jesus on
the cross understood that his sin was to blame for his problems and Jesus was
his only hope. He says, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”
And Jesus replies, I will do more than remember you, I will be with
you.
While He was dying, Jesus was intentional about saving others. He
modeled for us what it is to care for others in the midst of our own
suffering.
Your pain gives you the right to be heard. When you share the
gospel, your pain has a purpose. What if your temporary earthly pain could
change someone else’s heavenly reality forever?
Who could you share the
love of Jesus with today?
“Father, into your hands I commit my
spirit” (Luke 23:46).
This isn’t just a phrase that Jesus said because He
was dying. He was quoting a phrase Jewish boys said daily before they went to
bed at night from Psalm 31, teaching us to use it daily as well.
I can’t
describe the relief that washes over me when I know my Father is holding my
fragile spirit securely in His strong and loving hands. I can start to breathe
again. I can start to think again. I can put one foot in front of the other and
keep moving.
Next time Satan reminds you of wounds from your past. Try
saying, “Father, wrap up my wound; I give it to You to hold.” You are safe and
secure in your Father’s hands.
“Woman, here is your son,” and to the
disciple, “Here is your mother” (John 19:26-27).
In the midst of His
pain, Jesus noticed His mother standing near the cross. He chose to take care of
her instead of focusing on Himself. Don’t you think Jesus was leaving us a
powerful remedy for our pain? When you’re suffering, look to the needs of
others. Whom can you help? Whom can you serve?
Jesus modeled what I’ve
discovered to be true in my own experience: sometimes the only way to survive or
make sense of your own pain is to help someone else.
“I am thirsty” (John 19:28).
The great
I AM cried, “I am thirsty.” And when He did, He gave you and me permission to
ask for help and admit your physical weakness.
God created our bodies
with enough frailty to need His help. Feelings like thirst, hunger, and fatigue
expose the limits of our humanity and remind us daily that we need more of
God.
With that frailty comes our need for rest and margin, which means
designated space and time to take a break. Often we’re so busy taking care of
our families that we forget to take care of ourselves.
What are you doing
to take care of your body and your mental health? What is one thing you could
schedule daily or weekly to start getting some physical relief?
“It is finished” (John
19:30).
When Jesus said “It is finished,” it wasn’t a cry of defeat. It
was a shout of victory! In the Greek, these three words are actually one word,
tetelestai, which means “paid in full.”
This is a game changer! When
Jesus willingly sacrificed Himself for us, it wasn’t only a substitute
punishment — His life for our sin. It was a full exchange — all of Him for all
of us. He did more than pay for our sin and take it away. Jesus gave us His
right standing with God. He took everything that was wrong about us and
exchanged it for everything that was right about Him.
Jesus traded our
sin, sorrow, and pain for His unlimited righteousness, joy, and healing. You
don’t have to carry around shame any longer. God exchanges your wounds and
brokenness for the wholeness and beauty of His Son.
Do you view
yourself the way God views you?
My experience convinces me that God will
use you in greater ways because of what you’ve been through. He often allows our
wounds to change our destiny and the destinies of others. God not only heals our
wounds, but He also turns our scars — the reminders of what we’ve endured — into
beauty marks of purpose.
Now picture Jesus Himself holding your face in
both of His nail- scarred hands and looking directly into your eyes. Hear Him
say to you, “I love you. I see you. I hear your cries. I remember you. I will
take on your pain. I will heal you.”
Let those words soak into your
soul!
[written by Linda Barrick]
