Have compassion on me, for I am weak.
Heal me, Lord, for my bones are in agony.
Psalm 6:2 NLT
During this evening's Bible study, I asked the class to think of our chapel as a place for healing...
Heal me, Lord, for my bones are in agony.
Psalm 6:2 NLT
During this evening's Bible study, I asked the class to think of our chapel as a place for healing...
And not just for the physical healing of our bodies, when needed, but to also seek healing for our souls, should they be wounded and broken, as well.
I shared with the men how my life was badly damaged by my own sins, and from the crimes I committed in years past. How I must live with the consequences of my foolish actions, to include living with regret and anguish for those whom I have hurt. And how the Lord Jesus has been helping me to deal with these emotions along with the shame of being a murderer and a convicted felon.
The men began to open up and share their own pain and regret, each one willing and eager to divulge to the group his own struggles with these things. Some told of how they’ve experienced feelings of depression because they didn't know how to deal with these negative emotions.
It was as if the Lord opened up each of our hearts at the same time. We came to the realization that we were all suffering from having a broken heart and a wounded spirit. That we'd been hiding this truth from ourselves, some of us for many years. And that we were in need of a deep-seated work of healing from the Holy Spirit.
But this was more than a session for confession. It was an attempt to bring to the surface dark things that we had left to fester inside us, maybe for decades. And these were not only feelings of shame, guilt, and regret for the crimes we were each charged with. It went much deeper than this. It went back to childhood and adolescence, and the traumas we experienced, all of which helped to shape us into who we became as adults.
We realized that our past traumas needed to be dealt with. That it was now time to bring them to the surface and confess them to Jesus. "It's the Lord's job to deal with this," I said. So, as both individuals and a group, we called upon the Lord to help us. We asked Jesus to forgive whatever we did to bring hurt and pain
upon ourselves. We also asked forgiveness for those who may have hurt us.
I told the men that Father God wants to heal our broken hearts and our wounded souls. He wants us to be made whole. Just as King David did (as recorded in the book of the Psalms), we called upon the Lord, asking Him to heal our bodies and our souls. And we know He heard our prayers.
This evening, our chapel became a place for healing, and I am thankful.
D.B.
I shared with the men how my life was badly damaged by my own sins, and from the crimes I committed in years past. How I must live with the consequences of my foolish actions, to include living with regret and anguish for those whom I have hurt. And how the Lord Jesus has been helping me to deal with these emotions along with the shame of being a murderer and a convicted felon.
The men began to open up and share their own pain and regret, each one willing and eager to divulge to the group his own struggles with these things. Some told of how they’ve experienced feelings of depression because they didn't know how to deal with these negative emotions.
It was as if the Lord opened up each of our hearts at the same time. We came to the realization that we were all suffering from having a broken heart and a wounded spirit. That we'd been hiding this truth from ourselves, some of us for many years. And that we were in need of a deep-seated work of healing from the Holy Spirit.
But this was more than a session for confession. It was an attempt to bring to the surface dark things that we had left to fester inside us, maybe for decades. And these were not only feelings of shame, guilt, and regret for the crimes we were each charged with. It went much deeper than this. It went back to childhood and adolescence, and the traumas we experienced, all of which helped to shape us into who we became as adults.
We realized that our past traumas needed to be dealt with. That it was now time to bring them to the surface and confess them to Jesus. "It's the Lord's job to deal with this," I said. So, as both individuals and a group, we called upon the Lord to help us. We asked Jesus to forgive whatever we did to bring hurt and pain
upon ourselves. We also asked forgiveness for those who may have hurt us.
I told the men that Father God wants to heal our broken hearts and our wounded souls. He wants us to be made whole. Just as King David did (as recorded in the book of the Psalms), we called upon the Lord, asking Him to heal our bodies and our souls. And we know He heard our prayers.
This evening, our chapel became a place for healing, and I am thankful.
D.B.
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