Psalm 113:3 “You kissed my heart with forgiveness, in spite of all I've done. You've healed me inside and out from every disease.” Today's episode discusses how hard it is to accept forgiveness. Jesus died for our sins, yes, all of our sins. It also talks about how God has healed or is healing us inside and out. Sometimes, it is not in the order we like or the timing we want. This can be really hard for us to understand. If you are waiting on a healing, please know the Lord hears you and sees you! Music:"Adding the Sun" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
You’ve Healed Me Inside and Out
Psalm 113:3 “You kissed my heart with forgiveness, in spite of all I've done. You've healed me inside and out from every disease.”
This week, we are continuing with the series exploring Psalm 113. I am using the Passion Translation in case I didn’t mention it on Friday. I feel it is so beautiful. Today, the verse starts off with, “You kissed my heart with forgiveness, in spite of all I have done.” This is probably one of the most challenging concepts for us to understand. We look at our lives, and we look at all we have done wrong, and we struggle to believe the Lord can forgive us. We struggle to believe that our sins can be forgiven. How could they be? We wonder if people say God has forgiven us because they don’t know how bad our actions were.
Guess what? God knows, and He forgives them anyway. That was the point of Jesus dying on the cross. He takes each and every one of your sins with Him. This is why Catholics have the crucifix hanging in all of their churches. This is why they have the stations of the cross around the church. I had a friend once who said that he didn’t like being in a Catholic church because it was so depressing. It said he believes in the risen Lord. We do, too! However, we believe it is important to remember that Jesus died for our sins. He sacrificed His life so we could have eternal life. This is something to celebrate. This is something never to forget.
It is hard for people to accept the Lord’s forgiveness if they don’t think about the cross. Even if we do, it is hard to believe that God loves us so much that He would let His only son die for us. It is incredible to think about the fact that Jesus also loved us so much He chose to die on the cross for us. The Father didn’t make Him. He chose it, He volunteered for us. He must love us a lot.
I have talked with many people who think of God as a just judge sitting up in Heaven. He is watching us and waiting for us to mess up so that He can punish us. I wonder how it is possible to think this in light of the crucifixion. God laid out the rules very clearly to Adam and Eve. There was one tree they couldn’t eat from, yet they did. Then sin entered the world. It was not as if we did nothing wrong and the Lord punished us. He warned them, and they did it anyway. Yet, He still sent His son to save us. How often have we thought, “Well, they deserved it?” Imagine if the Lord had said this about us. He didn’t. He sent Jesus to take all of our sins to the cross. Yes, ALL of them, even that one that you don’t believe he wants to take to the cross. He already took it there.
Next, it says, “You've healed me inside and out from every disease.” God is so good. He does this for each one of us in different ways. Sometimes, He works on the wounds we have on the inside first, and sometimes, He works on our outside wounds first. Some of you listening may be suffering from something big right now, and you are wondering where your healing is. If that is you, I want you to know that the Lord sees you. He knows you are suffering. He hears your prayers.
The other night, I prayed with a listener and his wife. The man reached out because he lost his eyesight a few years ago and really wants it back. He wanted to tell me his story as he heard me mention on Witness Wednesdays that we all have a story, and it is essential to share our stories. Maybe I will share his story this Wednesday. I will check with him. However, what made me think of him today is the line in this verse that says, “You healed me inside and out from every disease.” The Lord is healing him. I know he is. He is growing closer to the Lord daily, which is fantastic. However, he has not been healed of whatever is causing him to lose his eyesight. He is positive, not angry at God, and yet sometimes gets sad that he has not regained his sight yet.
If you are praying for healing and haven’t received it yet, I want you to know you are not alone. If you pray for healing and sometimes get discouraged because it hasn’t happened yet, know that you are not alone in that feeling either. I want you to know I am praying for you. If you want to reach out as Bruce did by emailing Catherine@findingtruenorthcoaching.com or on social media, Catherine Duggan. I would happily pray for your healing over the phone with you. I could also add you to my daily prayers and the prayer lines I am a part of or know of. There are so many prayer warriors out there who could be praying into your specific circumstance.
The words in the Bible are meant for all of us. They were not just spoken to the people who lived when it was written. They were meant for you and for me. This verse was meant for you and for me. The Lord is healing you inside and out. Maybe not in the order you would like, maybe not in the time that you would like. He is healing you, though. We know this because it says it right here in the Bible.
This verse reminds me of the story of the paralyzed man in Mark 2:2-11. This was the story of the man brought to Jesus by his friends. He was paralyzed and couldn’t walk, so his friends brought him to Jesus to be healed. They couldn’t reach Jesus because of all the crowds, so they brought him up on the roof, made a hole in the roof, and lowered him down. Jesus first said his sins had been forgiven and then healed him physically. Maybe this is what the Lord is doing to us, too. Maybe He is working on the things we can’t see before he heals the physical things we can see. I wish I had all the answers. I wish I could tell you why it seems like your prayers haven’t been answered yet. The truth is I have no idea. I do know the Lord’s ways are not our ways, and His thoughts are higher than our thoughts. He knows things we don’t know. He knows the perfect timing for things. I know it probably doesn’t feel great to hear that. I know that doesn’t take away your pain or suffering.
I pray that God gives you the strength to keep coming to Him, even when you don’t want to. I pray you keep asking the Lord for healing even when you think he doesn’t hear you. I pray you continue to ask even though you feel disappointed when he doesn’t answer immediately. I pray you get your healing and you tell the whole world about it. I pray your healing gives so much glory to God. I pray in the mighty name of Jesus that each of you listening, who is praying for a miracle healing, receives it sooner rather than later. I pray when you do; you share it with us in this community so we can celebrate with you and give all the glory to God!
Dear Heavenly Father, I ask you to bless all those listening to this episode today. Lord, I know so many people patiently waiting for their healing: Bruce, my Dad, Diane, Melanie, Sheila, Marlene, and so many more. Lord, we know your timing is perfect. We ask you to give all those waiting for miracles the patience to wait for your timing. In the mighty name of Jesus, we ask you to give them the strength to persevere through this challenging time until you heal them. Lord, we ask that you fill them with hope and encouragement that a healing is coming. Lord, I always worry about giving people false hope, yet I know that is the enemy talking because there is no false hope in you! We love you, Lord, and we ask all of this in accordance with your will and in Jesus’ holy name, Amen!
Thank you so much for joining me on this journey to walk boldly with Jesus. I hope if you are struggling and looking for healing that, you will reach out. I would love to pray with you over the phone or over Zoom. Click Here to message me. I would love to add you to my daily prayers. I would love to celebrate with you when you receive that healing you have been asking for. Please don’t stop asking. If you haven’t asked yet because you think God is busy with more important things, please know He is not. He has time for all His children and may just be waiting for you to ask.
I look forward to meeting you here again tomorrow. Remember, Jesus loves you, and so do I! Have a blessed day!