Healing. That is probably the key word of what the Lord has been doing in our lives over the past few months of being Stateside.
In the New Testament there are many references to Jesus and the apostles healing. A repeated phrase in the Gospels is, "...He healed them." Jesus healing was instantaneous. While I believe that God continues to heal in this way today, I have seen more evidence in our own lives which points to healing as a process.
Why does Jesus choose to heal over a period of time, and not always on the spot?
This is something that has taken a while for me to understand. We have been Stateside because we needed to heal: emotionally, spiritually, physically, and relationally with my wife, children, and with the Lord.
All of these take time.
The process of healing is just as important as the healing itself. While healing is taking place, our relationship with the Lord is restored. Slow healing allows us to heal with others as well. In the process of slowing down enough to heal us, God has many things teach us. If He were to instantly heal--like we want Him to--we would probably say, "Thanks, Lord!" and jump right back in to the destructive life style that led us to needing the healing in the first place. We would most surely miss out on the greater blessing of what He wants to deal with in our lives that has led to the brokenness in our lives.
What do you think? What has been your experience with healing?
5 comments:
Guy,
The healing in my life in a few areas, principally from those destructive and sinful patterns of living you referenced, has indeed been an ongoing process. But there are some exceptionally important lessons I have learned that I think I only could have learned over time:
1. The process has forced me to seek the Lord daily, hourly, moment-to-moment. I have learned that I need continual brokenness and continual filling of the Spirit. "I need Thee every hour" is often the song of my heart, and living dependent on the Lord is just a GOOD place to be.
2. I have seen that He is God, and sovereign, over and over. Not just for a moment, but continually. In Him there is no variation or shifting of shadow. He never sleeps nor slumbers. Even when I am faithless, He remains faithful. These lessons are only learned experientially when it's a process rather than an instant.
3. I have experienced the love-filled grace of the Prodigal's Father over and over again. Again and again I have felt as if I'd blown it, only to see the Father once again running down the road to meet me as I was sheepishly returning.
His grace compels me now in a way that I don't think it would had this not taken a lot of time. His love, His voice, they thrill me to hear. I love thinking about Him and talking about Him. He's the supreme Object of all my attentions, and I'm never empty while He is filling.
I don't think, with all my shallowness, that He could have brought me to this understanding had He not shown Himself to be the God not only of a moment, but of all moments.
Dienekes,
Very good observations. Thanks for sharing. The lessons you are learning apply to many of us as well.
Guy,
I've never had so much healing take place, both in my family life and in my personal spiritual walk as I have had on my current US Navy deployment. At times it seems like God has isolated me so that he could deal with me alone, and that process, though painful, has been very successful. I've never been as close to the Father as now.
As to the process itself, I can see usually through hindsight how the Father works things so that he can have me exactly where he wants me, including working with the ship's schedule (in my opinion)!
Thanks for the post!
Yeah. It sure is a process. I think that is because we can't cope with it all at once. Having a sabbatical has meant a lot more space to so God do some major personal work in my life.
Dan,
Maybe that is why God has you in the Navy during this season of your life: to heal you!
Nige:
Sounds like we both needed our sabbaticals for the same reasons! I just hope I don't quickly forget the lessons learned during this time that will necessitate another prolonged healing time!
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