“They begged him to let them touch even the edge of his cloak, and all who touched him were healed.” Mark 6:56

What do think of when you hear the word emotional healing? Is it something you long for?

When I think of healing, I think of freedom from pain.

Where do you run when needing relief from pain? For years I ran to an eating disorder, to people and their approval, to my rights and control instead of running to the Healer.  He was standing right there, but I didn’t reach out.

Am I the only one who’s stood beside the Healer, plagued with hurt, crying , “Lord, help me!” yet didn’t get relief? Have you ever cried out, scraped at your sores and then wondered why God didn’t help you?

If you want freedom from pain, grief, bitterness, emotional hurt or broken relationships, Jesus is capable of healing your pain.  Believe this, then act on it.

The paralytic (Mark 2), the woman bleeding for years (Mark 5) and the people in Mark 6 were healed by Jesus after they came to Him, believing He would heal them. Addictions, faulty thinking, anxiety, over-indulgence, broken relationships, and other non-physical sources of pain just don’t disappear with wishful prayer. They require surrender and action. 

Would you run to Jesus to touch His hem for healing? How do you touch Jesus in 2014?

1. Through Prayer 

• Praise Him for who He character, His power, and who He is in your life.
• Thank Him for the things He has done, is doing, and will do in your life.
• Confess any sin against Him or others that’s hindering your walk or His work in your life.
• Ask Him to reveal and heal the source of your pain. Don’t superficially ask Him to heal you. Ask Him to deal with the garbage that’s causing the behavior, the hurt or pain.  It’s an intimate act, just like touching  His cloak is a personal act of faith.

2. Through Faith

• Faith is believing what you can’t see. In Jesus’ day, the people believed Jesus could heal them if they only touched Him.  Do you believe Jesus will heal your pain if you give Him your hurt? Without faith, you limit  his healing power in your life (Mark 6:5-6)
• Faith requires giving up control. You have control over your emotions and pain whether you admit it or not. When you choose to be healed emotionally, you give up your rights to your pain, bitterness, anger, control over others, fears and worry.   The harder you hold on, the harder it is for Jesus to take it from you. Christ is a gentleman. He won’t force his way into your life. He will heal when you surrender your control to His.
• Faith requires being honest. You can’t hide from God. You need to be honest with yourself. Do you really want to be healed? Until you’re honest with yourself and God, healing will be stalemated by your unwillingness to let go and let God do His work.

3. Through Action

• I didn’t wake up one day and overcome an eating disorder. Each healing journey requires a conscious choice to deal with the behavior, the relationship, the emotions, or the root of your pain.
• Once you decide to heal, work at it. This might include formal counseling, coaching, or accountability partners to pray with you. It requires learning about yourself, dealing with the hurt, and releasing the source of pain. 
• Daily, you need to choose Jesus’ way rather than retaliating or holding onto your rights.

Jesus wants us to come to Him, to touch His cloak and heal us.  He desires to have the fullness of who He is in the abundant life He has planned for us. 

Father will you show us how to draw closer to you? Will you come to us in our pain, giving us the desire to reach out and touch you for healing? Thank you we know you’ll meet us each step.

Where do you need emotional healing? How can we pray for you? Feel free to email me (brenda@brendayoder.com) and I will be a prayer partner for you.