Words of Healing
“A wholesome tongue is a tree of life, But perverseness in it breaks the spirit.” (Proverbs 15:4)
We live in a hurting, wounded world. Jesus lived surrounded by a world of hurt too. I just love that day that he walked in the synagogue, picked up the scroll of Isaiah, and read these words: “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor . . . [and] proclaim freedom for the prisoners” (Luke 4:18, NIV).
This is our message too. We do have the words of hope for a lost and dying world. We do.
We have been given the ministry of reconciliation. So we need to speak it out. I’m over sixty now, and you know what? I love it. I feel that I can, without reservation, go up to someone—a total stranger who looks sad—and tell them with full confidence God loves them. I can give them a Gospel of John and tell them with full confidence it can change their life. I can talk to a young woman struggling with sin and with full confidence tell her that sin will destroy her life. With surrender, Christ can set them free. Words do have power.
In our ministry we began to go to orphanages in Russia. We love to take gifts and crafts and have fun with the children. But also I feel it’s vital to talk to them about the wonderful promises of God found in the Word of God. Because “the tongue that brings healing is a tree of life.”
Make It Personal . . . Live It Out!
Do you need healing? Life can be very painful. You need words that bring you comfort and hope. Let me recommend three books that will give you insight and encouragement. The first is written by Philip Yancey: Where Is God When It Hurts? Another book I recently discovered is Grieving the Loss of Someone You Love, by Raymond R. Mitsch and Lynn Brookside. The third, of course, is the book of Psalms.