Healing Oil

Have you ever faced the same trial over and over again? Have you found yourself in the same scenario...that same scenario you promised yourself you would never return to? Do you have a health issue that is leaving you discouraged? Have you recently lost a loved one? Did someone walk away from you and leave you feeling abandoned? Have you found yourself scraping your pennies up in hopes to buy just a little food? Do you struggle making ends meet? Have you done something that has left you feeling guilty and unwilling to forgive yourself? Do you need to forgive someone else? Are there memories that haunt you and strike up fear and anxiety in your life when remembered? Do you live with shame?

Over the past several years I have struggled with my health. In just the past two years it has become worse and I have had a couple close calls. Sometimes I allow myself to go into these seasons of darkness where I am discouraged and frustrated. I just want to feel better. I just want things to be normal. I become so consumed with my emotions and feelings. There are times I am just angry with God, not understanding why He won't just fix me. Not only have I struggled with my health over the past few several years, I have also struggled with depression. My emotions and feelings have taken precedence far too many times in my life. I have allowed those negative feelings and emotions to dictate what direction my attitude goes that day. It's a very dangerous and slippery slope. Just about a month ago, I found myself in a very dark place. It is a familiar place, as I have been in this pit before. It's a recurring season...just when I think it's been beaten, it comes back with a vengeance. I find myself again very frustrated and sometimes flat out annoyed with God. I just throw my hands up and think, "What's the use? I give up!"

Tonight I decided to open my bible (the actual Bible, not on my handheld device or iPhone)...I was unsure of where I would go...all I did was just ask God to speak to me. I opened my Bible to Jeremiah 29:11, a verse I am very familiar with and one that I love. After I read that familiar verse, I began thumbing through Jeremiah looking at the titles of the chapters and came across Jeremiah 30. Above the chapter number it reads, "Promises of Deliverance". I begin scanning the verses in this particular chapter, trying to allow God to lead me. I got to verse 17 and it says this,

"'I will give you back your health and heal your wounds', says the Lord." 

At the very time I read that passage, a song started playing on my computer on my Kim Walker Pandora station...I kid you not, it was "Healing Oil". Coincidence? I think not. God got my attention. I then immediately looked up the lyrics to this song and this is what it says...

"I could feel Your healing oil, running down my brow
  I wouldn't trade another lifetime for how I feel right now
  In Your presence Jesus
  You healed me, God, You healed me yea
  You healed me yea
  You healed me yea, oh I could feel it"
 It gave me goosebumps. Not only did God speak to me in His Word...He topped it off by then playing a song that confirmed it! I love how He knows each of us so intricately that He knew how to grab my attention! The verse not only says that He will give me my health...He also says that He will heal my wounds!!! Physical and Emotional! Wow! In Jesus' presence I will find my healing. Do I know what it will look like/ feel like? No...all I know is that I must trust Him completely with it all. I have to have faith.

There are many times that the enemy tries to convince me that I do not have a purpose. There are times, many times actually, that the enemy succeeds in convincing me that I am worthless...that I will never amount to anything...that I might as well just give up because God has given up on me. All of these things are lies...HATEFUL lies. God promises this in Jeremiah 30:16,

"But all who devour you will be devoured, and all your enemies will be sent into exile. All who plunder you will be plundered, and all who attack you will be attacked."

Not only will God give me my health and heal my wounds...He promises to put the enemy in his place!! God is giving me the victory! Amazing. It's time I fight back against the enemy and cry out Jesus' name...make him flee by just the sound of Jesus' name. Jesus!!! I am thankful for God's gentle reminders...and well, honestly, I need to learn to thank Him for the not-so-gentle reminders. Ultimately God allows these hard times in my life for one reason and one reason only...to draw me nearer to Him...to trust ONLY in Him...to realize that I have nothing else BUT Him!

Be encouraged friend. Understand that the trial is a tool. The trial has been set in place in order to grow our faith and ultimately usher us into the presence of God - IF we allow the trial to do just that. You are loved. God loves you so much. He is the Lifter of our heads. Stand tall, seek God's face, and enjoy His precious presence.