My dear friends, as most of you know, I spend a large portion of my days mentoring and ministering. Over and over again I encounter beautiful gifted people with deep wounds from the past. Often, after getting to know each other, the conversation will turn to: “I’ve never told anyone this, but when I was…”
Hidden, yes, hidden deep within their souls are things that happened to them or things they participated in. They are totally unaware that that these hidden things have become cracked lenses through which they see life. Even though these things may have occurred decades ago, the impact of them still affects them today.
You see, because these incidences remain hidden, they never heal. Often, we are totally unaware of the influence they are having on our life. Phrases like, “I never dreamed that was why I …” resonate through my office.
In Psalm 32 David describes his journey of uncovering hidden things and bringing them to the Lord. The result: He rejoices that all his pain has disappeared. What a relief!
What about each of us? Do we have things from the past that have been hidden and have become the lenses through which we see life?
The solution could be quite simple:
- Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you anything hidden from your past. (Perhaps you already know what it is.)
- Confess to the Lord your participation in it – or if it happened to you – confess your shame and unwillingness to bring it to Him.
- Ask for forgiveness and receive it.
- Ask Him to cleanse your soul, bring healing, and show you new healthy life patterns.
- Ask Him to fill you with His peace, presence, and power to walk with this new perspective on your life.
Often this simple (but not necessarily easy) process can bring great healing and change those lenses. But what about those deep soul wounds we have already prayed over? Perhaps those need a little extra help from someone trained to walk alongside us through the process of healing and restoration.
There is absolutely no shame in reaching out for help – but it is a real shame for God’s people to live a life with cracked lenses. We want to see clearly and live out all that God has planned for us!
Join me in this prayer: God, I invite your searching gaze into my heart. Examine me through and through; find out everything that may be hidden within me. Put me to the test and sift through all my anxious cares. See if there is any path of pain I’m walking on, and lead me back to your glorious, everlasting ways – the path that brings me back to you. Ps 139:23-24 TPT This, my friends, is a journey you will not regret!
