Habits of Jesus Day 6: Healing

We sometimes think of healing as a one-time, miraculous event, and it is that! Jesus healed many people during His ministry. But when it came to His own body, He made it a habit to consistently remind the disciples that it was only an earthly body (John 2:19). His three years of ministry led to the destruction of that body at Golgotha. But His journey was to culminate in the healing resurrection of Easter, not only for His “body” but for ours. Because, “By His wounds we are healed.”

My Servant grew up in the LORD’s presence like a tender shoot, but He was despised and rejected by men. He was a man of great pain and familiar with the deepest grief and sickness. He was despised and we did not care. However, it was our suffering that He Himself bore, and our pains that He carried. He was pierced for our offenses. He was crushed for our wrongdoings. The punishment to restore our well-being was laid upon Him. By His wounds we are healed. From Isaiah 53: 2-5

As we study the habits of Jesus, we find that He leaned daily on the promises of God for the pain of His earthly path. A few painful things He experienced are that He had no home (Luke 9:58), He was tempted by the devil while fasting in the desert (Matthew 4:1-2), His family rejected Him (Mark 3:21), people wanted to stone Him (John 10:31), His friend Lazarus died (John 11:35), Judas and Peter betrayed Him (Luke 22:48,61), the disciples deserted Him (Matthew 26:56) and He felt forsaken by God (Matthew 27:46).

Your own healing and recovery are important as you step out to live your life and help others. Know that He promises to show you the way He walked His earthly life. He promises to heal and restore you. He promises to give you the perseverance and strength you will need for each painful moment of your journey. 

When my husband died, one of my soul-sistahs gave me her silver Juste un Clou (just a nail) bracelet. It is a beautifully wrought nail that has been bent to gracefully wrap around your wrist. It looks like it was permanently formed around your arm. As a Christian, this is not “just a nail” as the name implies! She wore this as a reminder that only through the wounds of Christ are we healed, for the loss of her son. Passing this on to me for my pain that can only be healed through God is a wonderful sign of our friendship and unity in what He has done for us.

Before we can begin to experience the journey of our own healing in the particulars of our life, we must long to understand the depth of what He did for us on the cross. This wasn’t just a painful experience to be endured, although He did, but a humiliating experience. He was despised and rejected. He grieved deeply for our unsaved state, our uncaring spirit, and our continued wrongdoing. And He was punished instead of us. But by His wounds, we are healed. Because He knew the joy that awaited Him, and us, He bore the pain and disregarded the shame (Hebrews 12:2).

What does that mean for us?

First, there is the eternal healing of salvation from the death of Jesus.

Second, the resurrection of Jesus confirms the future healing of our body and mind and circumstances. Like Him, we will be with God forever.

And last, there is a state of spiritual and whole-body healing that we can experience here on our earthly journey. Following the habits of Jesus will take us to that place of peace. Healed people lead others to healing.

What new idea or thought has God been speaking to you about today?

What one thing could you do to spur on that new thought habit? (Post-It, memorize a verse or phrase, talk about it with someone wise)

How might God be leading you to share your own experience of walking a healing path with others?

Healing Spirit, I don’t want You to just dull my pain. I count on You to heal my pain and restore my soul to one of joy in You. You make all things new for me. Show me how to help others experience Your newness. Amen.