When I have been hurt, how can I find healing?

Ecclesiastes 8:9I have thought deeply about all that goes on here under the sun, where people have the power to hurt each other.

Romans 3:23For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.

Because we were created as a relational beings, we have the capacity to hurt others. Because we are sinners, we will hurt others. And because we are human, we will experience pain as a result of our own and others’ imperfections. Much of the hurt we feel is unintentional, an unavoidable part of living in a broken world. We should try not to take it personally.

2 Samuel 18:33The king was overcome with emotion. He went up to the room over the gateway and burst into tears. And as he went, he cried, “O my son Absalom! My son, my son Absalom! If only I had died instead of you! O Absalom, my son, my son.”

Ecclesiastes 3:4A time to cry and a time to laugh. A time to grieve and a time to dance.

Acts 20:37They all cried as they embraced and kissed him good-bye.

2 Corinthians 2:4I wrote that letter in great anguish, with a troubled heart and many tears. I didn’t want to grieve you, but I wanted to let you know how much love I have for you.

We need to express our pain—privately to God and to our friends or even publicly. Unexpressed pain can fester inside us, driving us toward unhealthy emotions such as depression or bitterness.

Psalm 6:2Have compassion on me, Lord, for I am weak. Heal me, Lord, for my bones are in agony.

Psalm 22:24He [the Lord] has not ignored or belittled the suffering of the needy. He has not turned his back on them, but has listened to their cries for help.

Psalm 34:18The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those whose spirits are crushed.

Psalm 119:76Now let your unfailing love comfort me, just as you promised me, your servant.

Isaiah 51:12“I, yes I, am the one who comforts you. So why are you afraid of mere humans, who wither like the grass and disappear?”

To find healing, we should meditate on the knowledge that God compassionately cares for us and focus on his loving character. The one who made us is the best one to heal us.

Psalm 19:8The commandments of the Lord are right, bringing joy to the heart. The commands of the Lord are clear, giving insight for living.

Psalm 119:28, 50, 52, 92I weep with sorrow; encourage me by your word. . . . Your promise revives me; it comforts me in all my troubles. . . . I meditate on your age-old regulations; O Lord, they comfort me. . . . If your instructions hadn’t sustained me with joy, I would have died in my misery.

When we have been hurt, we can look to God’s Word as a source of comfort and healing. The words are from God himself and bring healing and hope.

Psalm 30:11You have turned my mourning into joyful dancing. You have taken away my clothes of mourning and clothed me with joy,

Psalm 126:5-6Those who plant in tears will harvest with shouts of joy. They weep as they go to plant their seed, but they sing as they return with the harvest.

Psalm 147:3He heals the brokenhearted and bandages their wounds.

Romans 8:23We believers also groan, even though we have the Holy Spirit within us as a foretaste of future glory, for we long for our bodies to be released from sin and suffering. We, too, wait with eager hope for the day when God will give us our full rights as his adopted children, including the new bodies he has promised us.

God does not promise believers a life free from pain and suffering. But Christians have a relationship with a God who helps us through our hurts, comforts us in our hurts, and sometimes miraculously heals our hurts. But most importantly, we have a God who will one day take away all of our hurts. Whatever pain we are experiencing is temporary; it will end, perhaps here on earth, but certainly in eternity.

Genesis 50:15, 19-21Now that their father was dead, Joseph’s brothers became fearful. “Now Joseph will show his anger and pay us back for all the wrong we did to him,” they said. . . . But Joseph replied, “Don’t be afraid of me. Am I God, that I can punish you? You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people. No, don’t be afraid. I will continue to take care of you and your children.” So he reassured them by speaking kindly to them.

Psalm 44:16All we hear are the taunts of our mockers. All we see are our vengeful enemies.

We shouldn’t fixate on hurtful words from hurtful people. Meditating on others’ unkindness can consume our thoughts and reopen painful wounds. Instead, we should allow Scripture’s healing words to soothe our hurts.

Genesis 33:4Then Esau ran to meet him and embraced him, threw his arms around his neck, and kissed him. And they both wept.

Forgiveness is a miraculous medicine to heal our brokenness. We should accept it gladly.