WEBVTT 00:04.267 --> 00:10.314 [SPEAKER_00]: In today's verse 15, we're going to look at the reality that God loves to heal hearts. 00:11.516 --> 00:18.384 [SPEAKER_00]: As we continue this series, allowing who God is and what He does to stir up our affections for Him. 00:19.225 --> 00:27.255 [SPEAKER_00]: May His desire to heal us emotionally, to bind up our wounds, to draw us closer to Him in meaningful ways. 00:28.276 --> 00:30.679 [SPEAKER_00]: Welcome to the verse 15 podcast. 00:45.273 --> 01:12.883 [SPEAKER_00]: Our Scripture for today comes from Psalm 147 verse 3, Scripture says, He heals the broken 01:16.238 --> 01:20.707 [SPEAKER_00]: One of my favorite chapters in all of Scripture is Psalm 147. 01:21.127 --> 01:31.227 [SPEAKER_00]: It's a Psalm laid in with the wondrous works of God, rich with imagery and powerful and stirring our affections for God. 01:32.557 --> 01:36.605 [SPEAKER_00]: In it we learn that God determines the number of the stars. 01:37.346 --> 01:42.596 [SPEAKER_00]: He gives to all of them their names, and that He covers the heavens with clouds. 01:43.217 --> 01:45.221 [SPEAKER_00]: He prepares rain for the earth. 01:45.782 --> 01:48.267 [SPEAKER_00]: He makes grass grow on the hills. 01:49.089 --> 01:54.058 [SPEAKER_00]: He gives to the beasts their food and to the young ravens that cry. 01:56.688 --> 02:07.822 [SPEAKER_00]: The verse that I want to emphasize for us today, however, is verse 3, which says, he heals the broken hearted and binds up their wounds. 02:10.425 --> 02:15.211 [SPEAKER_00]: Jesus was a perfect example of God's heart to do this very thing. 02:16.873 --> 02:24.602 [SPEAKER_00]: All throughout his ministry, Jesus healed those around him physically, emotionally, and spiritually. 02:26.236 --> 02:36.951 [SPEAKER_00]: Scripture gives us insight into characters such as Mary Magdalene, who is delivered of demon possession and brought into close friendship with Christ Himself. 02:38.133 --> 02:47.046 [SPEAKER_00]: Jesus healed her spiritually, emotionally, and physically, by delivering her from oppression and being her friend. 02:48.545 --> 03:02.144 [SPEAKER_00]: Then there's Paul, before Jesus revealed himself to Paul, he was Saul, a man committed to destroying the very movement of Christianity that he would later give his life to build. 03:03.666 --> 03:07.531 [SPEAKER_00]: He was a driven, successful, and prideful man. 03:07.571 --> 03:16.003 [SPEAKER_00]: He was a religious zealot of great discipline, but a man far away from the heart of God. 03:17.300 --> 03:33.586 [SPEAKER_00]: However, after meeting Jesus and being healed of His former ways, He was able to confidently say He counted all things as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. 03:34.708 --> 03:43.442 [SPEAKER_00]: For His sake, I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish in order that I may gain Christ. 03:46.392 --> 03:51.057 [SPEAKER_00]: God has the same heart for you, he had for Mary and Paul. 03:52.559 --> 03:59.186 [SPEAKER_00]: He knows the wounds that people, circumstances, and sin have caused in your life. 04:00.888 --> 04:16.365 [SPEAKER_00]: He knows what you struggle with, the habits and addictions that hold you back from living the abundant life he has planned for you, and he has both a desire and plan to heal those wounds. 04:18.168 --> 04:21.792 [SPEAKER_00]: God desires to heal your heart right now. 04:23.554 --> 04:26.797 [SPEAKER_00]: You don't have to wait to encounter the power of God. 04:28.319 --> 04:34.726 [SPEAKER_00]: God wants you to live a life receptive to all the love and blessings he loves to give you. 04:36.748 --> 04:42.454 [SPEAKER_00]: Let the stories of Mary and Paul fill you with a longing to encounter more of God. 04:44.003 --> 04:50.273 [SPEAKER_00]: Allow what God has done in others' lives to stir up a yearning to be healed by God yourself. 04:52.016 --> 04:53.078 [SPEAKER_00]: Wait on the Lord. 04:54.420 --> 05:00.150 [SPEAKER_00]: Open your heart to Him and let Him do what He has promised to do in you. 05:01.672 --> 05:07.682 [SPEAKER_00]: He's promised His healing, transformation, and abundant life. 05:09.434 --> 05:18.848 [SPEAKER_00]: All that's left is for you to receive the gift of healing he longs to give as you follow the leading of the Holy Spirit today. 05:20.971 --> 05:32.708 [SPEAKER_00]: Take time to press into the heart of God to heal you today as you enter into a time of guided prayer. 05:53.039 --> 06:02.376 [SPEAKER_00]: As we begin, meditate on God's desire to heal any broken places in your life as revealed in Scripture. 06:04.119 --> 06:12.634 [SPEAKER_00]: Psalm 147 verse 3 says, He heals the broken hearted and binds up their wounds. 06:21.794 --> 06:23.653 [UNKNOWN]: you 06:52.321 --> 07:07.579 [SPEAKER_00]: And next, tell God of the places in your heart that are broken. 07:09.161 --> 07:13.486 [SPEAKER_00]: Your wounds could go back to your childhood or just yesterday. 07:14.907 --> 07:21.535 [SPEAKER_00]: Either way, God desires to heal anything that's holding you back from fullness of life 07:23.489 --> 07:36.604 [SPEAKER_00]: Jeremiah 1714 says, heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed, save me, and I shall be saved for you, are my praise. 08:17.945 --> 08:22.291 [SPEAKER_00]: and last, take action where God is leading you. 08:23.793 --> 08:32.646 [SPEAKER_00]: Sometimes healing comes through forgiveness, a conversation, or taking some extra time to pray and be with God. 08:34.268 --> 08:46.585 [SPEAKER_00]: Ask him how he feels about any wounds from your past, any broken relationships, or any recurring sin in your life. 09:40.413 --> 09:47.663 [SPEAKER_00]: Healing is often a process, but know that God desires to lead you through every step of the way. 09:47.723 --> 09:56.456 [SPEAKER_00]: If you put it on your heart to forgive someone or to have a hard conversation, know that it's best for you. 09:56.516 --> 10:01.964 [SPEAKER_00]: While it may be hard today, your life will be better because of it. 10:03.466 --> 10:08.293 [SPEAKER_00]: Even if the person that hurt you has passed away, you can still forgive that person. 10:09.404 --> 10:18.345 [SPEAKER_00]: As these issues begin to come up, take time to be in God's presence and allow him to heal the broken places in your life. 10:19.708 --> 10:27.126 [SPEAKER_00]: God has healing and transformation in store for you, and that life is available to you right now. 10:54.173 --> 10:56.816 [SPEAKER_00]: Thank you for listening to today's podcast. 10:57.296 --> 10:59.158 [SPEAKER_00]: I'm Josh Miller with First 15. 11:00.299 --> 11:04.103 [SPEAKER_00]: God healing our hearts is often an ongoing process. 11:04.943 --> 11:09.328 [SPEAKER_00]: Wounds take time to see, assess, and allow God into. 11:09.368 --> 11:14.232 [SPEAKER_00]: Often there are layers of hurt, and so we need layers of healing. 11:15.193 --> 11:22.020 [SPEAKER_00]: But there's hardly any pursuit that can give us more life than letting God bring His healing to our hearts. 11:23.384 --> 11:28.689 [SPEAKER_00]: So as you go about your day today, take time to simply let God heal you. 11:29.790 --> 11:44.583 [SPEAKER_00]: Even if it's just a few moments of resting in his love, of allowing him to speak truth over a lie or wound, let God move in your life throughout your day today, that the healing process would be ongoing. 11:46.044 --> 11:51.349 [SPEAKER_00]: Have a wonderful rest of your day today, and may God bless you as you see him.