RTF 3: Soul Spirit Hurts

This is all about things that have happened to us in the past that have left us wounded. The way we work through these relies strongly on hearing God, which many people find difficult. The reason why people find it so difficult is often because they apply a heavy filter on what comes to them, mistaking the voice of God for idle thoughts of their own, which they then don’t follow up. Some people expect a booming voice from heaven, whereas what normally comes is through the still small voice inside.

When doing this, I normally do it with someone else: usually my wife. This is because they can help by guiding me along, asking appropriate questions, pointing out unforgiveness and ungodly beliefs, and so on. Often when we have a prayer session looking for inner healing, we start with this approach as it allows God to direct the session and deal with the things he wants dealing with.

I start by praying the following prayer (or something similar):

Lord, please show me the memory of the event that is at the root of the current problem.

I then talk about the first thing that comes into my head, however irrelevant it may seem at first. Sometimes a thought, which at first seems to have no bearing on anything, leads on to something being brought up that has been buried under six feet of concrete for years. If it doesn’t lead anywhere, I just start again by praying the prayer. But more often than not something crops up, and the other person helps me overcome any reluctance to face it. Note that it is important to have God show us the memory, rather than us trying the think up something we reckon will be the thing to look at.

There then follows a period of time where I pour out to God exactly how I felt when this incident happened. During this time there will often be people to be forgiven, sins to be confessed and ungodly beliefs to be dealt with.

Once that has been exhausted, I then pray the following prayer (or something similar):

Lord, please show me where you are in the memory.

How this happens depends on how each person hears God. For some people they see Jesus physically in the situation, sometimes he speaks words, or both. Sometimes it is a feeling that is predominant. The important thing is not to try and imagine God doing something, but to wait until he does something. If nothing happens, then it is usually worthwhile praying and asking if there is any unforgiveness etc. that may be blocking things. Invariably, in my experience, God does turn up and speak.

It’s not that we modify the memory so that something different from the original events take place. It’s that God’s presence and verdict on the situation is added. It is God speaking (in its widest sense, including pictures and feelings) that actually does the healing. Just as the world was created by God speaking, so we are healed in the same way.

After this, I then go back into the memory to see if there is any hurt left in it. If so, then I repeat asking God (Jesus) to show himself in the memory, waiting and listening again.

I should mention that for some wounds that are very deep, this can become something a bit more ongoing. That is, we sometimes need to allow some time for God’s words and presence to soak in, like marinading. In my experience this can carry on for days or weeks after the prayer session, as I re-interpret the world around me in the light of what God has said and shown me.