Facts
You and I live in bitter circumstances that are sometimes hard to swallow and often not at all what we would choose. We live in a fallen creation. The God and man relationship has changed. Whereas Adam and Eve walked and talked with God daily, we cannot even see God face-to-face. Every human being is born with a fallen nature that is rebellious and sinful. We are born with Adam’s likeness. Like Adam, we make wrong choices and those choices have consequences.
You and I have an enemy with a deceitful gameplan. He uses lies to tempt our choices just as he used a lie to tempt Eve to make the wrong choice.1 Peter 5:
6 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:
7 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.
8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:
9 Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.
10 But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.
11 To him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

adversary = a person, group, or force that opposes or attacks; enemy; foe.
devour = to swallow or eat up hungrily, to consume destructively, recklessly, or wantonly:
to engulf or swallow up; to absorb or engross wholly:
satan’s lies intensify the emotional pain of living here

Emotional pain blurs God’s reality
Because mankind was made in the image of God, your identity is linked to His identity. If you don’t see God clearly for Who He is, you can’t see yourself clearly for who you are in Him. Consequently, your perception of reality may become blurred. When we do not see God and ourselves clearly, that emotional pain can grow. Emotional pain does not mean your relationship with Jesus failed or that you are a 2nd class Christian

Christian life is a growing process– 2 Corinthians 5:
17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
18 And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;
19 To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.

Why don’t we expect newborns to drive cars? Why don’t we expect youths to have the wisdom that comes only from experience?

Examples of root-causes of emotional pain
Wounded or buried, unresolved emotions
Struggling to control unwanted behaviors
Don’t know how to face emotions, share emotions or manage emotions
Self-loathing
Guilt from the past

Inappropriate survival skills are forms of behavior learned incorrectly to adapt to circumstances. When you receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, you may need to relearn how to survive in this fallen creation as a new creation. For example, I learned to deal with difficulty and bitter circumstances by stuffing my feelings, ignoring them and not letting myself feel them. Consequently, I came to believe that I did not matter because I had been believing that my feelings did not matter. But by participating in a support group in my church, I came to recognize how I was inappropriately handling my emotions and to receive the healing only Jehovah Rapha can give.
John 11:
43 And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth.
44 And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with graveclothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith unto them, Loose him, and let him go.

Notice what Jesus said! Lazarus came forth from the dead still wearing his grave clothes and his face was bound with a napkin. Likewise, when we receive Jesus as Lord and Savior, things from our past may still cling to us and our focus may be bound to the past. Sometimes emotional healing is needed for wounds encountered in your past. Scars have no pain because the healing process is complete. Wounds still need healing. God has provided a remedy for your emotional healing. Notice Jesus told the others to ‘loose him and let him go’. We need Christian fellowship, friendship and sharing to loosen us from the things of the past.

The growing in Jesus process is so important to our spiritual growth and cannot be avoided or hastened. Why didn’t God take the freed Israelites immediately to the Promised Land?
Deuteronomy 7:
21 Thou shalt not be affrighted at them: for the LORD thy God is among you, a mighty God and terrible.
22 And the LORD thy God will put out those nations before thee by little and little: thou mayest not consume them at once, lest the beasts of the field increase upon thee.
Deuteronomy 8:
2 And thou shalt remember all the way which the LORD thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep his commandments, or no.

You see God had prepared a process. The Israelites had to grow. One of the lessons they had to learn was God’s remedy for healing -Jehovah Rapha.
Exodus 15:22-27
22 So Moses brought Israel from the Red sea, and they went out into the wilderness of Shur; and they went three days in the wilderness, and found no water.
23 And when they came to Marah, they could not drink of the waters of Marah, for they were bitter: therefore the name of it was called Marah.
24 And the people murmured against Moses, saying, What shall we drink?
25 And he cried unto the LORD; and the LORD shewed him a tree, which when he had cast into the waters, the waters were made sweet: there he made for them a statute and an ordinance, and there he proved them,
26 And said, If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the LORD thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his sight, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the LORD that healeth thee.
27 And they came to Elim, where were twelve wells of water, and threescore and ten palm trees: and they encamped there by the waters.

Questions:
Where were the Israelites?
What was the problem?
What action did they take?
What did Moses do?
What did God do?

How does the story of the Israelites give you hope?
Romans 15:
4 For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.

His cross for our healing
Where are our transgressions? Colossians 2:
13 And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses;
14 Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;
15 And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.

Where are our sins? 1 Peter 2:
24 Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.
25 For ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls.

Where are our iniquities? Isaiah 53:
5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.

Where are our death sentences? John 15:
5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.

God’s invitation to receive His healing
Matt 11:
28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
What is the only thing you must do? Why not tell Him you are ready?

Amy Carmichael, 1913
Amy Carmichael was a missionary to India for 55 years without furlough. As a child she prayed for blue eyes and was sorely disappointed when God answered “no”. But her brown eyes helped her fit into the Indian scene. Here are some of her writings:

1) And shall I pray Thee, change Thy will, O Father, Until it be according unto mine?
But no Lord, no, that never shall be, Rather I pray Thee blend my human will with Thine.

2) I pray Thee, hush the hurrying, eager longing, I pray Thee soothe the pangs of keen desire,
See in my quiet places, wishes thronging -Forbid them Lord. Purge though it be with fire.

3) And work in me to will and to do Thy pleasure -Let all within me peaceful, reconciled,
Tarry content my Well-Beloved’s leisure At last, at last, even as a weaned child.

Questions for Reflection
1) Do you choose to give God all your pain, hurts, resentment, bitterness, anger, guilt?

2) Will you take God at His word and cast all your cares upon Him, thereby releasing them from you? 1 Peter 5:
7Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.

3) What circumstances are bitter now?

4) What is hurting you now?

5) Is it from the past or present?

6) Why not tell Him and ask for His help in applying His cross to the circumstances!

7) What is keeping you from fully trusting Him? Practice telling Him daily “I love You” and listen for His assurances of love.

Hebrews 12:
1Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,
2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Let us run with patience the race He has set before us, looking unto Jesus,
Coach Patti