Jesus Still Heals

 This powerful article shares a personal journey from abuse and brokenness to wholeness and joy through the healing love of Christ. No matter what pain you’ve endured, Jesus still heals hearts, restores hope, and brings beauty from ashes.

The most important message I can share with people is that God loves them and has good plans for them. The world is full of heartbroken people, who have been mistreated or abused in some way. And they’re pretending to be okay, desperately hoping other people will think they’ve got it all together.

The truth is, we all go through hard times and get hurt by someone or something, and hurting people hurt people. Many times when people abuse others, they are acting out of their own pain, and it goes on from generation to generation.

But if you’ve been hurt in the past, you don’t have to spend your life being miserable, angry, bitter, resentful, or full of self-pity, hurting others. Through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, you can receive complete healing in your soul—your mind, will and emotions. God can restore your life and make it better than it was before you were wounded.

I know what it’s like to hurt so much you don’t think you can stand it anymore and feel hopeless about the future. For most of my childhood, my father abused me, and I never knew while I was growing up what it was like to feel safe, secure, and loved.

Leaving Home

When I left home at 18, I thought I was leaving my problems behind me, but I came to realize there were many problems in my soul because of the abuse I had endured. I was an angry, suspicious, critical, judgmental adult who didn’t know how to have healthy relationships. And I desperately needed the healing love of God to restore my life!

Isaiah 61:1-3 says Jesus came “to preach good tidings to the poor … to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound … to comfort all who mourn … to give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness.”

Thank God for His promise to heal the brokenhearted, comfort those who mourn, and set the captives free!

Experiencing God’s Healing Power for the Brokenhearted

Now, it takes time, diligence in studying the Word, and lots of prayer to walk out the healing that is yours by virtue of the blood of Christ. But as believers in Jesus, we can overcome sin and experience His healing power in our lives.

When we come into a relationship with Christ, a divine exchange happens. He takes our sin and the messes in our lives and gives us His righteousness, peace, and joy (Romans 14:17). God gives joy for mourning, beauty for ashes, praise instead of depression. He offers forgiveness instead of blame, righteousness instead of guilt and shame, hope instead of despair.

All we have to do is give up our ashes and receive God’s beauty.

A good place to start is admitting you need God’s help. It’s okay to not be okay—God helps the humble (1 Peter 5:5-7). Then, as we renew our minds according to the Word, we will trust God more. We will believe what He says above what others say, our feelings, or our circumstances. That’s when we can be filled with His love, set free from the pain of our past, and healed in our soul.

I want to encourage you to humble yourself before God and trust Him more than anything else. He loves you and wants you to be free to walk in His good plans for your life. Study His Word and pray every day, casting your cares on Him. When you do, you’ll find that life becomes a beautiful, wonderful, amazing journey!

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You’ve just begun the greatest journey of all. Let us walk with you.