"Healing The Holes" - Conclusion

"Healing The Holes In Your Heart" - Part 2

If you haven't read Part 1 of this devotion, "Healing the Holes In Your Heart", please it read first by dropping down to the message from yesterday!

As the mocking and beating continued into the night for Jesus our Lord grew tired but when it was day again our Lord was led to the council of the leaders and again asked if He was the Christ. That is when Jesus spoke and said if I tell you, you would not believe. When I read this, I thought about how many people today still do not believe that Jesus was the Christ. They want to call Him anything else but our Christ. Times haven't really changed much since that time when it comes to people, has it?

Luke 22:68 And if I also ask you, ye will not answer me, nor let me go.
Luke 22:69 Hereafter will the Son of man sit on the right hand of the power of God.
Luke 22:70 Then said they all, Art thou then the Son of God? And he said to them, Ye say that I am.
Luke 22:71 And they said, What need have we of any further testimony? For we ourselves have heard from his own mouth.

Jesus knew His fate was sealed and that the leaders of that day were not going to accept or believe Him no matter what he did. If you are someone that has in the past or may even now be going through something that you know is not going to change no matter what you do, don't despair! Jesus knows exactly how you feel, to be convicted of nothing and punished for it too! Have you ever been accused of something you didn't do or even worse, someone is telling everyone you know lies and trying to make you out as someone who is no good? I have and it hasn't been so long ago!

It was following the time when my wife left in May of 2002 while I was still trying to regain my balance. My wife had went around and told all of our friends allot of out right lies about me in an effort to justify her leaving me so suddenly without any notice. I went from being the person I had always been know to be, a laid back and easy going father and husband, to a tyrant man with terrible anger issues and a complete misery to be with. I was described as a cunning and deceptive person that had secrets that had never been revealed in the 18 years of our marriage. My own daughter was told that I would get up late at night while she was asleep and holler and yell at her mom for hours. How was she to know that her mom was lying to her to turn her against her own father and create hate in the heart of a beautiful daughter? I know it is hard for us to think about these times of bitter memories and we'd just rather not think about them, but it doesn't just go away on it's own. You need to know how to deal with it! I needed to know how Jesus dealt with it! He is the example of the perfect man to us all!

The next type of pain that causes huge holes in our hearts are the times when we receive physical abuse! I have heard of people receiving punishments when imprisoned by the enemy that they never deserved but cannot imagine how they were able to go on with their lives as though that experience had never happened. We really choose not to know how someone deals with it unless we are the ones going through it. There is a pain that comes with physical abuse that will eventually heal or be forgotten but the mental abuse that comes with that tends to hang on and create bitter feelings towards the ones who hurt us.

Let's read on in the book of John in chapter 19 about what happened next,

John 19:1 Then Pilate therefore took Jesus, and scourged him.
John 19:2 And the soldiers platted a crown of thorns, and put it on his head, and they put on him a purple robe,
John 19:3 And said, Hail, King of the Jews! and they smote him with their hands.
John 19:4 Pilate therefore went forth again, and saith to them, Behold, I bring him forth to you, that ye may know that I find no fault in him.
John 19:5 Then Jesus came forth, wearing the crown of thorns, and the purple robe. And Pilate saith to them, Behold the man!
John 19:6 When therefore the chief priests and officers saw him, they cried out, saying, Crucify him, crucify him. Pilate saith to them, Take ye him, and crucify him: for I find no fault in him

Not only was Jesus scourged and made to wear a crown of thorns; he was also mocked by the crowd as they made him wear a robe meant for a king while He was treated as a prisoner guilty of a crime punishable by death!

The next type of hurt we experience is when someone we trust in a position of authority fails to defend us. Did you ever have an experience when your parent didn't protect you from someone that was inflicting harm or abuse on you? You knew that they understood what was happening but they just chose to ignore the facts and wash their hands of it all, so you spent many years suffering time after time or maybe just once. Either way it felt the same when you laid down at night and cried yourself to sleep hoping no one heard you so that you wouldn't get into more trouble.

Maybe it was someone else that just didn't defend you properly; a teacher; a pastor; a lawyer; an uncle or aunt or even a grandparent?

Jesus too felt this hurt as the chief priests, and captains of the temple, and the elders, and even His own Father would eventually turn His back on His Son. Yes, Jesus felt just like you have felt when your mom or father let you down!

Jesus understands exactly how you felt!

Look at verse 6 above where Pilate told the people to take him and crucify him but he found Jesus to have no fault! I know it hurts terribly even though Jesus knows how you feel! I know that the times you were hurt without anyone there to stop the pain are impossible to understand but remember that Jesus understands for he too experienced this.

Have you ever been in need and the people that you asked help from were not really interested in helping you? I know that there have been times in my life like that and when it happened along came Satan to tempt me to doubt the love of God. I have shared my need in the form of a prayer request so many times at church before and not one person felt led to do anything at all to help! I mean no one! I thought all the way home about how bad it is when even the so called Christians in the church wouldn't reach out to help me in severe need. Thank God I have found a place of worship where the title Christian means faith, hope and charity.

It can be such a disappointment though when we go through this! It hung with me after going through my divorce and seeking help from the church looking for someone to watch my children while I was at work. I was going to pay them well but it seemed like no one even made an effort to help. I never heard back from anyone nor did I get any leads from the church office. I even explained my situation to other church secretaries and asked for leads for a sitter during the summer months and didn't get any help. I was so disappointed that I began to fall into a spirit of despair and hopelessness! My world was coming to a screeching halt until I could find help with this. It might seem like a small need but it was the difference between keeping a job or not! Sometimes it's the small things that we really need most!

Look at what Jesus needed.

John 19:28 After this, Jesus knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the scripture might be fulfilled, saith, I thirst.
John 19:29 Now there was set a vessel full of vinegar: and they filled a sponge with vinegar, and put it upon hyssop, and put it to his mouth.

He said he was thirsty and the guard gave him vinegar! Can you believe it? I feel sure that they had water of their own and this man who was dying asked for water. They gave Him something that would cause His mouth to burn due to the sores and cuts caused by the beatings he had taken earlier that day and the night before. Isn't this as bad or worse than the times we have been mistreated and ignored by those who could help in time of need?

How do we heal? "What can cause the holes to go away", I asked myself many times over the years. How do I live with all that has happened without feeling as though I am dead inside? Why would God leave me with such a burden to carry all the memories that I cannot leave behind? Did Jesus give me any answers that could make a difference in this mixed up heart of mine? How can I keep on going like this?

What I found as I kept searching is that Jesus did give us an answer to these questions I have asked! As I continued reading about the life of Jesus, not only did I find that He suffered just as we have but He had a solution to heal those holes in His heart and ours too!

I found that the example set by Jesus was His final lesson to us that taught us how to overcome the pain and disappointments! I found that He saved the best for last but Jesus wanted us to realize first that he had felt our pain and that he still did what was right no matter what! You know how the last words are always the most important and we usually always remember what they were! What were the last words of Jesus that are so important? Let's read,

Luke 23:34 Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them: for they know not what they do.

That's right! His example to us was to forgive! He taught us that it is up to us to forgive so that we may be free!

Jesus had to forgive so that he could rise from the dead and receive a new heart! A heart without holes! You may be thinking that you will have to wait until you die to get this but it's not true! The reason I know is because I followed His example when I saw this and it has changed my life forever! I asked God my Father to forgive them so that I could live again!!!

It worked too!!!

You may not be able to forgive someone for their own good right now but that's ok. I want you to consider forgiving them for your good!

Take a few minutes right now, please. Ask yourself if there is anything you remember about your past that caused you pain. Think about each of them and make a note of what and who it was. After about five minutes of thinking about this with eyes closed I want you to think about this. If you remembered anything from your past that caused you allot of pain, you most likely never did settle that and need to. I beg of you to do this! I want you to do this for your own good right now! I want you to forgive them in the sight of God so that your heart can be healed. You can even tell God that.

Pray with me today! I want you to list the people that you remember that hurt you and when you get to the word "those" in the prayer, just call out the names on your list. I rarely ever ask anyone to pray with me but this is one time I have to. God made such a difference the day I did this and I knew that Jesus showed me the way to heal the holes in my heart!

Let's pray,

Oh Lord my God! I love you Father and I trust you! You have been through and felt my pain! I saw how you forgave the ones that hurt you too so you would heal the holes in your heart. My Heavenly Father, I want that too! I want these holes to heal more than anything! I need the holes to heal so that I can love again like I once did. Oh God, I ask you to forgive "those" who hurt me if for no other reason than for the purpose of my own healing. I can't do this for their good right now but I can do it so I can heal. Please heal my heart and release me from the burden of a wounded heart. Cut the bands that carried my hurts and memories so that I can follow your example and go forth from this day forward to do your will in my life! Amen.