“He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.” Psalm 147:3 NKJ
On the Cross Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.”(Luke 23:34) I used to read this and pray, “Of course He could do this because He was Jesus, but what about me Lord? I can’t do this! It is impossible to forgive the people who have wounded me. The pain was so great and the memories are so vivid; I can’t get over them!”
Then one day as I prayed the Holy Spirit prompted me to read the Book of Acts. When I read Acts 7: 59-60 I stopped and began to cry. It says, ““And they stoned Stephen as he was calling on God and saying, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” Then he knelt down and cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not charge them with this sin.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep.” How could Stephen do this? I can’t even imagine what went through his mind during the stoning process and the pain he suffered before he died; and yet his dying words were, “Lord, do not charge them with this sin.”
Would these be your dying words if that was you? I know that before I had the revelation I am going to share today those would not have been my words. But now I can honestly say that my words would be similar to Stephens because I have learned how to allow Christ IN me to heal my broken heart and bind up the wounds of past memories associated with trauma inflicted on me by others. This was a process that took time but the benefits (fruit of the Spirit) have far outweighed the time it took to do it. Today I live at peace with the memories of my past and I do not hold unforgiveness for any of the people who have hurt me over the years.
Suffering from a broken heart due to any wound can be very traumatizing and captivating if we do not allow Christ IN us to heal us and bind up the wound. By captivating I mean that if we are not careful we can allow the memories of our past wounds to captivate our minds into a state of mental bondage. On the Cross Jesus died for the wounds we would one day suffer and when He rose again He made provision for us to be completely set free from the stronghold of the memories of those wounds, with the promise that He binds them up. To bind means: to tie or secure, to fasten or wrap by encircling. Only the love of God IN Christ Jesus can do the work in us to bind up the wounds of our mind associated with past trauma.
I love what David said in Psalm 32:7 because it gives a beautiful picture of what being bound up IN Christ means. He says, “You are my hiding place; you shall preserve me from trouble; you shall surround me with songs of deliverance.” In order to grasp this understanding, let me share the image I got when I read this Scripture during my time of meditation when I studied today’s Bible passages. Think about the wrapping of a Christmas present for a moment. The wrapping paper hides the present from view. Colossians 3:1-3 says, “Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.”
Jesus truly is our hiding place and only Jesus can deliver us from the pain that comes when we remember past trauma. If we are willing to fix our minds on Him in times when our minds remember past trauma; we can be assured that He is binding (wrap by encircling) our wounds and He is singing songs of deliverance over us. And the beauty that comes when we allow Him to do this IN us, is that His present of deliverance is unwrapped IN us! We then are able to cry out to Him to forgive the very people who have wounded us. It doesn’t mean we reconcile with those people because those people may not be safe and may stone us again with their words or actions.
But what it does mean is that we are no longer bound to unforgiveness which frees us to open ourselves up to love with an untainted heart. Forgiveness is the key that makes this happen. Scientific research has proven that unforgiveness is one of the leading causes of physical ailment. The American Medical Association reports that over 85 % of people in hospitals are there because of psychosomatic reasons due to pent up emotional trauma. This is not research done in the church. This is scientific research and this is only one study, among dozens, that has been done where they have linked unforgiveness to illness.
If we are willing to do what Jesus did and what Stephen did, in forgiving the very people who have wounded us; we will experience deliverance from the trauma associated with memories of past wounds. This will open our minds up to receiving the love of Christ IN us which enables Him to perfect His healing work IN us, so we are able to love and trust people once again. Forgiveness frees the one who has been wounded from the ties that bind them to the person who has wounded them. It sets them free to live in wholeness so they can freely give the love that was given to them IN Christ, when He died for them on the Cross and rose again.
I leave you today with John 10:10 which says, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” Do not let the thief steal your peace, kill your hope, or destroy your dreams for love and fulfillment! Let Christ bind up your wounds and heal your broken heart so you can experience the healing power of the Cross as it works to deliver you from the ties that bind you to the memories of past wounds! This is my prayer for you today. Amen
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