Healing for Your Soul

 HEALING.  We pray for it, believe God for it.  Not just for physical healing, but for spiritual and emotional healing, as well.  In Hosea 6:1, we read:

 “Come, and let us return unto the Lord: for he hath torn, and he will heal us; he hath smitten, and he will bind us up.”

 I looked up the word "heal," and found the following definitions:

 “to preserve through danger, to bring safely through; to save, i.e. cure one who is sick, bring him through; to save, keep from perishing; to save out of danger, rescue.”

 God’s promise to Israel spoken through the prophet Hosea encompassed all of these definitions.  Israel had suffered greatly as a result of their idolatry.  They were continually caught up into the false gods worshipped by the foreigners in their land, frequently engaging in the evil practices surrounding them.  We may not practice witchcraft or visit spiritual readers, which is an abomination to the Lord, but how often do we get caught up in 21^st century idols – the internet, television, sex and pornography, movies, sports, cars, clothing, allowing these things to become our gods?  How often do we hold on to sinful attitudes, such as anger, bitterness, resentment, secretly enjoying some satisfaction out of them?  How often do we engage in behaviors that are counterproductive to God’s will for our lives, such as foolish jesting, vain imaginings and self absorption?

 Christian singer/songwriter Sandi Patti recorded a song many years ago that deeply touched my heart.  It was entitled “I Want to Be Ready.”  The first couple of lines are as follows:

 “Heal me Lord, from all my silly, sad charades.  How I long to be all and only yours, take away the clutter in my life each and every day, make me like a child at play…”

 I couldn’t help but think how often we pray to God, seeking physical healing, or healing from emotional pain.  But how often do we ask the Lord to heal us from the things that hinder or disrupt our fellowship with Him, or from behaviors that create conflict and strife in the body? God wants to heal us.  But a lot of our suffering is the direct result of sin.  We need to get right with people and with God.  Come to the Lord and confess your sins, so that you may be healed.  Make every effort to bring about peace in your broken relationships – only then will you find healing for your soul.