Philippians 3:10-14
10 I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead. 12 Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 13 Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
The American Psychological Association (APA) defines trauma as “an emotional response to a terrible event like an accident, assault, or natural disaster.” Short-term responses are typically shock and denial, while long-term responses can include “unpredictable emotions, flashbacks, strained relationships, and even physical symptoms like headaches or nausea.” These are normal responses to abnormal experiences.
- Physical or emotional abuse
- A crisis event – a serious car accident, a debilitating disease, etc.
- Witnessing a physically or emotionally violent event.
- Childhood events
- Loss of a loved one
- Divorce – fracturing of a significant relationship
- A life-threatening event
Again, remember that Trauma isn’t necessarily the event, but our short- and long- term response to it.
- It can however break you in every facet if it is not processed in light of the Lord and who He is.
- Emotionally
- Physically
- Mentally
- Relationally
- Spiritually
- Nothing can change your past BUT God can heal your heart and mind and body and restore your hope for the present and future.
- Have you processed your trauma?
- We don’t heal in isolation
- Take it to God today
Don’t Sing Songs To a Heavy Heart
The Bible portrays suffering realistically, not as if all problems can be resolved and loose ends tied up neatly like in a television drama. Life isn’t all sweetness and light. People in the Bible faced the full gamut of human experience and emotion, from glory and joy to struggles, despair, and ruin. Scripture talks about real people with real challenges, real heartaches, and real suffering.
Summary of Job 1 & 2
The enemy thought he could take “everything” from Job, and Job would curse God. But Job’s everything was God.
- Job is not alone. In fact, significant suffering touched most of the men and women whom God singled out by special call.
- The pillars of the faith found in God’s word-and many others who were much loved by God—still experienced profound suffering —many of you, and many you know.
- And then, of course, there was Jesus himself–a man of sorrows, well acquainted with pain and suffering.
- We often forget that Jesus experienced the most traumatic thing in the history of mankind. Not just that he physically suffered all sorts of horrible things, but that he bore the sin, he became the sin of the whole world on the Cross—he took also the sorrows and pains and sufferings of the whole world.
Isaiah 53:4-5
Surely he took up our pain
and bore our suffering,
yet we considered him punished by God,
stricken by him, and afflicted.
5 But he was pierced for our transgressions,
he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was on him,
and by his wounds we are healed.
Romans 8:16-18
16 The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. 17 Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory. 18 I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.
Don’t Sing Songs To a Heavy Heart
The resurrection of Jesus and the coming of the Holy Spirit signaled the beginning of the church, but even more to the point, it signaled the beginning of God’s new creation—his grand restoration project. While God is actively re-creating, there are still tears an death, mourning and sadness, pain and suffering. But Jesus offers the sure hope that one day there will be no more pain and suffering.
HE LIVES SO YOU CAN TRULY LIVE