39. Divine healing - VII
Ps. 32: 1-5 - …..blessed is he…..
How blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered!
How blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not impute iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit!
When I kept silent about my sin, my body wasted away through my groaning all day long.
For day and night Thy hand was heavy upon me; my vitality was drained away as with the fever-heat of summer.
I acknowledged my sin to Thee, and my iniquity I did not hide; I said: “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord”; and Thou didst forgive the guilt of my sin.
To the godly and wise men of long ago it had become obvious, that the knowledge of forgiveness and the willingness to forgive others have an definite effect on the state of health of the body and on the general feeling of well-being of man.
David was a firm and faithful believer in God and treasured his relationship with God as the most important thing in his life. He knew, that sinning against his fellow-men meant sinning against His God. He had observed in his own life and body, that, when he did not ask forgiveness for his shortcomings, failures and evildoings, his general health situation deteriorated. In Ps. 32 he described a state of ill-health, of pain and agony. He knew, because of the revelation of God in the books of Moses, that there is a definite link between the relationship with God and the general health of man. He knew, that God is able to keep his people healthy, even amidst difficult circumstances, like in the wilderness. He knew also out of the Torah, that God had laid a definite link between obedience to the divine will, keeping God’s commandments for righteous living, and health (Lev. 26, Deut. 28). He knew such stories as that one of Miriam, who rebelled against Moses (and in doing so, against God), and she became a leper (Numb.12:10). And now, in Ps. 32, he felt the results of sin and his unwillingness to admit and confess it in his own body.
But a dramatic change for the better occurred, when he confessed his sins. Now to understand what happened, we have to understand the real meaning and power of confession. When you admit sins and confess them in the presence of somebody - for the godly person this somebody is God - you actually cleanse your own consciousness, including the subconsciousness, of the destructive spiritual contents of sin. You actually remove sin, as if it were a poison, out of your systems! The more serious and determined you confess, even actually speaking it out and mentioning the factual sin(s), the deeper the cleansing is performed! David felt after confession a tremendous release in his consciousness and his mood was immediately changed into a happy, cheerful and hopeful one!
One can understand the Roman Catholic tradition of regular confession of sins to the priest. In the beginning this must have been a powerful means of obtaining the regular cleansing of the soul, and still can be. But, unfortunately, it became for many an empty and compulsory ritual.
But now we do understand why the apostle James emphasizes the importance of confessing sins, when prayer for the sick one is offered (James 5:15,16). Please notice carefully, that he also says: …..confess your sins to one another….. If we do not live righteously with our brothers and sisters, we not only damage our relationship with them, but also our relationship with God. In such a dreadful situation of spiritual barricades between people God’s loving and pure Holy Spirit cannot administer His healing power.
Linked up with confession of sins is the faith in forgiveness. The Gospel teaches us, that God is willing to forgive, for Jesus has made atonement for our sins. In fact, God has forgiven us already when Jesus made atonement for our sins. The death of Christ is:
a historical fact;
a Divine decision to accept the sacrificial payment of Christ’s life for our guilt.
Now the preaching of the Gospel calls upon men everywhere to repent ( = change to the way of living according to God’s will) and to believe in the freedom from sin, shame and guilt!
Health as we forgive one another…..!
Furthermore, we ourselves need to cultivate and maintain a forgiving spirit. If we feel wronged or abused , we should always watch our mind and heart, and be willing to forgive the one that has sinned against us. Jesus made it very clear, that such a state of heart is of the utmost importance to have a right and open relationship with God! He said, that if we do not forgive others, God will not forgive us! And…..let me assure you, that when you do not obtain the inner assurance of God’s forgiveness…..you are in serious trouble! For above all, we need God’s forgiveness. We need to know, to believe, that we are forgiven. For then, and then only, God’s love can fill our hearts, and His powerful Holy Spirit can operate with His mighty healing power, and we can live joyfully and victoriously over the powers of darkness.
Rev.12:11 - …..they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even to death.
A psychologist said: “Forgiveness is the key to mental health.”
What the Bible has been teaching for centuries and what has been lacking so badly in Christian teaching and practice, has now been confirmed by medical science and especially by psychology: Accepting and knowing that one is forgiven, and the willingness to forgive, whatever the seriousness of the offence committed against us, is of fundamental importance for the improvement of health in the human systems. Renowned psychologists have seen dramatic improvements in mental patients, when these patients came to the point where they accepted forgiveness or forgave others.
Let us, therefore, resolve and decide today to adopt the spirit and attitude of Christ, Who forgave sinners freely, even those that hurt Him, while nailing Him to the cross. Let us daily pray the Lord’s prayer thoughtfully and seriously: Our Father, Who art in heaven…..forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors…..(Matt. 6: 9,12). And, while forgiveness does its beautiful work in our hearts and in our relationship with each other, and in our relationship with our God, Who wants to be our heavenly Father, let us believe in the loving and healing power of the Spirit of the Most High God. And let us pray for one another, that healing and refreshment, strength and happiness will flood our beings. Let us praise our Saviour, Who was willing to lay down His life as an atonement for the sins of all humanity. Glory be to His Name, now and for evermore!!!
Let us pray…..
Our Father in heaven, please, let your powerful word of forgiveness, let the beautiful Name of Jesus cleanse our hearts, minds and feelings as a wonderful heavenly balm. May we create, by adopting the mind of Christ towards one another, a spiritual atmosphere so clean, pure and loving, that Your Spirit may be able to heal broken hearts and broken bodies now. This we pray in the Name of Jesus Christ. Amen!