I am quite confident that most people have experienced one or more heart-breaking, soul-wrenching circumstances in their lives—whether the loss of a loved one, abuse, crippling illness, abandonment, divorce, or any one of a myriad effects of the fallen nature of our planet.  Sadly, these things, these hurtful situations frequently not only bring pain in the moment, they also leave broken spots in our hearts, spots where, if not consciously surrendered to God, questions that begin with “how can a loving God…” take root and grow into unbelief in the goodness of our heavenly Father.

Christians and non-Christians alike understand that forgiveness is an essential step in healing our hearts and our emotions—recognizing that unforgiveness is poison to our souls.  For the Christian, forgiving others is a key factor in receiving forgiveness and unhindered relationship with God, “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.  But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses” (Matthew 6:14, 15).

The prophet Isaiah beautifully describes the mission of our Savior:  “Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted.  But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed” (Isaiah 53:4, 5).

I can assure you that I have more “where did that come from?” thoughts and moments than I can count; I know the enemy is a seed planter, I also recognize that there are broken, vulnerable places in my heart where those thoughts can grow if I am not careful.  Many of us have background scripts playing in our hearts written from devastating circumstances and painful experiences.  For instance, the survivor of abuse, whether as a child or an adult (though child victims often become adult victims) hears, “the world is not a safe place and no one will protect you”.  One who has experienced the loss of a parent at a young age or experienced divorce as an adult will subconsciously build walls of protection because people leave, and the fear abandonment is overwhelming.  The loss of a loved one, particularly when it seems long before their time, leaves a broken voice that proclaims, “God cannot be trusted to take care of me or my family”.  Friends who betray or a society that judges one’s appearance negatively insinuate that we are not lovable or worthy of love.

Now as Christians, consciously we recognize those lies, yet often our words, our habits, our addictions, our lifestyles, or our attitudes betray a brokenness, hiding deep within our souls.  Isaiah goes on to write, proclaiming the words of our Savior:  “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, Because the Lord has anointed Me to preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound…to comfort all who mourn, to console those who mourn in Zion, to give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified” (Isaiah 61:1-3).

For those moments when we question, “I have accepted Jesus as my Savior and the Holy Spirit dwells in me by faith, so why do I do these things, act this way, or have these thoughts and attitudes?”, it is important to remember that our lives are works in progress—and we can be “confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:6).

I am learning that to suppress fearful, faithless thoughts does not confront the source of brokenness in my heart; instead, when I confess them to God, He takes care of the issues at stake.  “For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:4, 5).

Two powerful weapons available to us are faith and scripture:  “above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.  And take the…sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” (Ephesians 6:16, 17).

When you feel exposed and your soul is in jeopardy, remember… “You [God] are my hiding place; You shall preserve me from trouble; You shall surround me with songs of deliverance” (Psalm 32:7).

When you fear abandonment, remember God’s promise… “‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’  So we may boldly say: ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not fear.  What can man do to me?’”

When you are tempted to think that God cannot be trusted, remember… “The Lord is faithful, who will establish you and guard you from the evil one” (2 Corinthians 3:3).  “As for God, His way is perfect; the word of the Lord is proven; He is a shield to all who trust in Him” (Psalm 18:30).

When you feel unloved or unlovely, we have our Father’s assurance… “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?  Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?…Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.  For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:35, 37-39).

Jesus invested all of who He is in our salvation—He is committed to our healing and restoration so that we “may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified”.