Suffering Healed .. Not so easy.

The way of love can be hard. You have sincerely tried to be a faithful Christian, but you have been overwhelmed with all kinds of roadblocks for years.

Joan Hunter is the daughter of Charles and Frances Hunter, who were pioneers in the healing ministry. She was also faithful and gifted in ministering healing and salvation.

She married a man who was supposed to be a faithful Christian, but it turned out he was gay, and committed adultery with men.

Her heart was broken. She had children to bring up alone.

What happened to her ministry? Through her own experience she became intimately acquainted with trauma. Her tragedy became a treasure of healing for many traumatised women and men.

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort,

who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. 2 Corinthians 1:3–4 NIV84

Those who are deeply traumatised in their souls need to understand that it is not only their thoughts and feelings that are hurt. Your whole being is damaged: your brain, your heart, your health.

Forgiveness is a necessary aspect of the healing process, but many counsellors go wrong when they give simplistic advice...

 "Just forgive." Forgive, yes. Just forgive? Really?

Forgiveness is not easy and it is not simple. Forgiveness is also only part of the healing process.

Abuse and trauma can ruin your whole being. There are people who need to be rebuilt from the ground up.

"Just forgive" as formulaic advice is a poisoned chalice.

Traumatised people need healing, as much as patients who are dying with cancer.

He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. Psalm 147:3 ESV

Are you broken? Your pain can become medicine for others who are suffering. 

When people recover from a serious illness, they can donate their blood, which is used to infuse antibodies into others to protect them from the virus.

So I ask you not to lose heart over what I am suffering for you, which is your glory. Eph 3:13 ESV

Paul had to suffer a lot as a missionary. He wrote his letters to the Ephesians and Colossians in prison. As a suffering prisoner, Paul received and shared glorious revelations.

His suffering became a glorious blessing for the Ephesians.

He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. Psalm 147:3 ESV

Are you broken? Your pain can become medicine for other suffering people.

Good and Bad Pastors

 Many have experienced very painful spiritual abuse, and I have been badly mistreated myself.

We are familiar with many tragic stories. We see in the daily news how preachers abuse women and children. We can start looking at pastors and priests as enemies, but that would not be fair.

Who has never been misunderstood and hurt by their parents? But imagine a world without parents, a world without a mother's love.

Many pastors are wise counsellors, preachers who pass on God's love and give damaged people new hope.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer was not only a great theologian, but also a faithful pastor. He was a good shepherd in Germany during the Nazi era. He was not only the leader, but also a role model for the faithful Christians in the Lutheran Church.

Before the end of the war, he laid down his life. He was hanged by the Nazis. He was a heroic pastor and he was by no means the only one.

In 1941 at Auschwitz, a prisoner managed to escape. In retaliation, ten prisoners were selected at random to die by starvation. One of the ten cried aloud, not for himself but for of his wife and children.

The priest Maximilian Kolbe was not selected, but he volunteered to go to his death for the traumatised father. 

He spent three weeks with the other nine victims in the death bunker, comforting them with faith and love. He was a true shepherd.

Countless preachers have suffered voluntarily in prisons, not only in Nazi Germany, but in communist and Islamic countries.

As a young man I was depressed and needed a therapist. As a newly converted Christian, I also needed a good pastor.

Unfortunately, my first pastors were very legalistic, manipulative and authoritarian. Instead of understanding and compassion, I experienced spiritual abuse.

I was rejected and excommunicated, and I had a complete breakdown. But I did not stay down. I thank God for good pastors and medical staff who helped me to recover.

My father was a psychiatrist. He became a believer only when he was 88, but he was a good doctor. I have met Christians who were very grateful for his care.

I have also seen terrible abuse in psychiatric hospitals, but I never want to reject good psychiatry because of bad psychiatry.

I also never want to reject good pastors because of bad or even cruel pastors.

I have often been disappointed with pastors and sometimes badly hurt, but I would never have got to where I am now without good pastors.

Pastors are only human. So of us many have also been hurt by parents, but imagine how we could live without parents.

In the Bible, Jesus is the Good Shepherd.

“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. John 10:11 NRSV

He is our example whether we are fathers, mothers, pastors or employers.

I thank God for good fathers and mothers, good teachers and therapists, good doctors and nurses, good pastors and preachers.

God has Better Plans

Are you discouraged? Disappointed? Anxious?
Are you really down?

Before the Last Supper, the apostles were disappointed and deeply shaken.

But how was that possible? They were Jesus' closest friends. They believed he was the Son of God, their Saviour and Redeemer. He was with them in the flesh. And they were dismayed?

A few days earlier, Jesus had arrived in Jerusalem. The crowds had acknowledged him as the Messiah with great excitement.

The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Hosanna in the highest!” Matthew 21:9 NIV84

The Jews, and also the apostles, expected that Jesus as Messiah would then establish the Kingdom of God, that Jesus would rule the world as King in Jerusalem.

But Jesus did not. Everyone was disappointed. The religious leaders could now manipulate the disappointed Jews.

Instead of the expected triumph, the disciples stared disaster in the face.

What did Jesus say to this?

“Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. John 14:1 NIV84

You have expected a great revival, prayed for it for years, heard wonderful prophecies.

Yet the Corona disaster came. Where is God? You no longer understand anything.

What is Jesus saying now?

“Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. John 14:1 NIV84

You were expecting something wonderful from God. You have waited a long time for it, and now you are shaken.

My father was 70 years old. He had been smoking 40 cigarettes a day for many years and his lungs were black inside. I had prayed for him for years but there was no sign of faith. 

He was tormented by emphysema. That was a death sentence.

Then I started praying a new prayer. "Please let my father live until he comes to faith."

At the age of 88, he converted. He was very weak, but there was no sign of emphysema.

Finally he turned 91. He was half blind and life had become a burden to him.

Then I read in the Bible:

With long life I will satisfy him, And show him My salvation.” Psalm 91:16 NKJV

I gave thanks and praise to God. And then I prayed a very bold prayer.

"Dear God, you have heard my prayer, but my father is really suffering. How would it be if my father goes to heaven exactly 16 days after his 91st birthday?

Exactly 16 days later, Jesus took my father to heaven with no pain.

In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.

And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. John 14:2–3 NKJV

God has good plans for us, and that includes you.

“Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. John 14:1 NIV84

No Fear in Love

The Hebrews were afraid of God's immediate presence.

And they said to Moses, “You speak to us, and we will listen. But don’t let God speak directly to us, or we will die!” Ex 20:19 NLT

Should we look down on the Hebrews in the Bible? Not at all.

Many Christians today want to have a dry faith, holding fast to the written Word of God but wanting nothing to do with dramatic supernatural experiences.

We read the Psalms of David, and we see a very different attitude.

O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you, in a dry and weary land where there is no water. Psalm 63:1 NIV84

How precious is Your loving-kindness, O God! Therefore, the children of men put their trust under the shadow of Your wings.

They are abundantly satisfied with the fullness of Your house, And You give them drink from the river of Your pleasures.

For with You is the fountain of life; In Your light we see light. Psalm 36:7–9 NKJV

It is good and important if your thoughts agree with God's Word, but did God save you so that you should be right in everything, or to experience His holy and tender love?

Many Christians theoretically believe in the delight and joy of God's presence, but they only expect it after they die. David did not think like that, neither did Paul.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace … Gal 5:22 NKJV

So many Christians suffer anxiety and stress. The overwhelming experience of the Holy Spirit is a wonderful therapy that God wants you to have.

You don’t need to be afraid of God. He wants to love you and share his joy with you.

Jesus saves victims of Abuse

It hurts when you see Christians in leadership and they use the same dishonest political tactics as unbelievers. I have often felt I was being manipulated by Christian leaders and I was not wrong to think this way.

It hurts when you are pressured into supporting Christian leaders who are promoting themselves and  their party, faction or ministry more than justice and mercy.

Every time there is an election coming, I feel stressed because of the twisting and manipulation going on around me.

When I asked God about it, I believe the Holy Spirit gave me a very clear answer.
Politics is all about manipulation. It is what it is.

What does the Bible say about this?

There are leaders who want to hide their mistakes, or the sins of their colleagues.

For there is nothing hidden which will not be revealed, nor has anything been kept secret but that it should come to light. Mark 4:22 NKJV

There are leaders who demand unconditional submission.

The Apostle Paul was a true and faithful leader. Paul himself denounced the practice of dictatorial leadership.

For you bear it if someone makes slaves of you, or devours you, or takes advantage of you, or puts on airs, or strikes you in the face. 2 Corinthians 11:20 ESV

Then Paul defines the foundation of true Christian fellowship.

Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. Ephesians 5:21 NIV84

 Some Christians might assert that this mutual submission should only apply to Christians of equal rank. But how did Jesus apply this truth?

The first Christian chosen by God to witness to the resurrection was not an apostle but but Mary Magdalene. When she and other women told the fearful apostles they had seen Jesus, they did not believe. How did Jesus respond?

Afterward he appeared to the eleven themselves as they were reclining at table, and he rebuked them for their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they had not believed those who saw him after he had risen. Mark 16:14 ESV

When a leader goes wrong, some Christians claim he was not chosen by God, but King Saul was chosen by God.

There are Christians who claim that you must never publicly criticise a chosen leader, but David openly accused Saul.

Suppose you have been abused, bullied, gas-lighted and cast out by Christian leaders, pastors or politicians.

What does Jesus think about this?

In John 9, Jesus healed a blind man. When the man testified that Jesus had healed him, the religious leaders excommunicated him.

Jesus didn’t just heal the man. He sought him out to help him when he had become a persecuted outcast.

Jesus heard that they had cast him out, and having found him he said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” 

He answered, “And who is he, sir, that I may believe in him?”

Jesus said to him, “You have seen him, and it is he who is speaking to you.” 

He said, “Lord, I believe,” and he worshipped him. John 9:35–38 ESV

Have you been bullied and cast out by religious leaders? Please don’t blame Jesus. He wants to help you personally. The same religious leaders crucified Jesus, but he returned from the grave.

As a young Christian I was excommunicated but I learned that the cruel leaders were not the source of my salvation but Jesus Himself.

The LORD builds up Jerusalem; he gathers the outcasts of Israel.
He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. Psalm 147:2–3 ESV

Jesus gathered the outcasts of Israel and he also gathers the Christian outcasts today.

God's Treasure Hunt

 King Saul of Israel had failed miserably. God commissioned Samuel, the prophet and high priest, to find a new king. God sent Samuel on a treasure hunt. He was to find the young man chosen by God and anoint him as the next king.

Where was Samuel sent? Not to the Jerusalem and not to a noble family. God sent Samuel to a farm. The farmer had strong and handsome sons.

Jesse had seven of his sons pass before Samuel, but Samuel said to him, “The LORD has not chosen these.” 1 Samuel 16:10 NIV84

The farmer had another son, but he was only a boy.

Then Samuel asked, “Are these all the sons you have?” “There is still the youngest,” Jesse replied. “But he’s out in the fields watching the sheep and goats.” 

“Send for him at once,” Samuel said. “We will not sit down to eat until he arrives.”

So Jesse sent for him. He was dark and handsome, with beautiful eyes. And the LORD said, “This is the one; anoint him.” 1 Samuel 16:11–12 NLT

Samuel was directly led by the Holy Spirit.

Today many of us are so wise in our own eyes. We are taught that we have the whole Bible and theological training. We think we no longer need the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Or else we do what we think is right and assume we are led by the Spirit.

Some Christians are too easily led by emotional impressions, but it is dangerous to rely on our own human understanding of the Bible without the help of the One who inspired it.

And what are the results of this educated Christianity? In many formerly Christian countries, Christians are merely tolerated. The power and glory of God are not found in most churches.

Many churches have excluded the Holy Spirit, just like King Saul, but God is looking for outsiders and children like David who will continue His work with the love and power of the Holy Spirit.

 Agostino d' Antonio, a sculptor of Florence, Italy, wrought diligently but unsuccessfully on a large piece of marble. "I can do nothing with it," he finally said. Other sculptors, too, worked with the piece of marble, but they, too, gave up the task. The stone was discarded. It lay on a rubbish heap for forty years.

Out strolling one day, Michelangelo saw the stone and the latent possibilities in it. It was brought to his studio. He began to work on it. Ultimately, his vision and work were crowned with success. From that seemingly worthless stone was carved one of the world's masterpieces of sculpture—"David!" (cf: 1 Samuel 16:13)

ENCYCLOPEDIA OF 15,000 ILLUSTRATIONS SIGNS OF THE TIMES By Dr. Paul Lee Tan  

 You may be rejected by the world and even other Christians as a worthless stone. God still has good plans for your life.