The Bible is so full of testimonies of God healing both in the Old Testament and the New Testament. Most of those are for healing in our flesh from diseases. Healing in the soul realm – our mind, will, and especially our emotions are harder to quantify and therefore not as prevalent in the written Word. Does that mean that the same scriptures that speak of healing don’t apply to our mental/emotional areas? Of course not. In all that we receive from the Lord, we receive it by faith. Healing scriptures that promise healing for our body also promise healing for our soul realm. I’ve had the privilege of receiving healing immediately through the laying on of hands as described in Mark 16:18 and Acts 28:8.
Mark 16:18 – they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”
Acts 28:8 – And it happened that the father of Publius lay sick of a fever and dysentery. Paul went in to him and prayed, and he laid his hands on him and healed him.
On October 12, 1986, at a Sunday night service Pastor Lynne Hammond of Living Word Christian Center in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, said that God wanted to heal ladies that had female organ problems. I had been in pain for months in my womb area. I didn’t know what was going to happen because I’d never been in a church like this. She laid hands on my womb area and began praying. I heard in my heart to just believe – so I did. I actually felt my insides moving around like they were being rearranged. Pastor Lynne said yes, there you go and the pain completely left me. Later in the service Pastor Mac Hammond gave an altar call and I went up and asked Jesus Christ to be Lord of my Life.
I’ve also received healing from deep emotional pain that at times had me paralyzed in depression and rejection. Serious soul distress comes from being separated from God or feeling like He is afar off. Conversely, true joy comes from being in His presence. Did you know, if you believe that God is not with you then your feelings will line up with what you believe or what you’ve meditated on? If you have asked Jesus to be your Lord and begin to speak the truth to yourself that He will never leave you nor forsake you and greater is He who is within you than He who is in the world, then you begin to become more aware of His Presence (Hebrews 13:5; 1 John 4:4). Let’s look at a Psalm of David.
Psalm 4:1-8 (NKJV)
Hear me when I call, O God of my righteousness!
You have relieved me in my distress;
Have mercy on me, and hear my prayer.
2 How long, O you sons of men,
Will you turn my glory to shame?
How long will you love worthlessness
And seek falsehood? Selah
3 But know that the Lord has set apart for Himself him who is godly;
The Lord will hear when I call to Him.
4 Be angry, and do not sin.
Meditate within your heart on your bed, and be still. Selah
5 Offer the sacrifices of righteousness,
And put your trust in the Lord.
6 There are many who say,
“Who will show us any good?”
Lord, lift up the light of Your countenance upon us.
7 You have put gladness in my heart,
More than in the season that their grain and wine increased.
8 I will both lie down in peace, and sleep;
For You alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.
I really like what it says in verse 8. For many years I’ve had a problem with sleeping and anxiety during the night hours. I know that the root of that problem comes from my childhood. However, I have a heavenly Father that is the protector that my earthly father never was. As I began to renew my mind to this verse, I was able to be confident that I could have peaceful sleep…and then came kids – ha, ha, ha!
We will be focusing on more healing verses and testimonies in the next few posts. The most important thing that I’d like to impart to you is that there is healing available to you in God’s word. It is His will and testament written for us. If your grandmother passed away and left you some wonderful things in her will, but you never read it and so never understood what she left for you or how to get a hold of it then you would live without the benefit of the blessings that she meant for you to have. It is the same with the Lord. He has so much more available to us if we just take the time to learn what that is and how to apply it to our lives.
A new testament passage that has always been an encouragement to me, to stay focused on making sure my soul prospers is 3 John 1:2 Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers. Yes, our physical health can be directly affected by our soul – emotional health. Doctors and psychologists have been telling us this for years. The good news is that Jesus heals!
1. Do you have any personal testimonies that help to remind you that God heals?
2. If sleep is a problem for you, what do you do to try to get enough each night?
3. What other Bible Verses can you find that specifically address sleep?
4. Do you have times where you just feel like God is not with you? What is your self-talk like when that happens?
5. What other scripture(s) can you locate that can encourage you of His presence with you?
WOVEN In Grace 