Sometimes we need God to sing over our soul. The part of us that wanted our life to work out in a certain way and wanted hearts desires fulfilled...by now. Our spirits can be in full surrender to God and our lives can be laid down, but our soul still feels everything and can be in anguish, restless or weighed down.
The will of God
I often visualise the will of God to be a dark flowing river with twists and turns that you can’t see around each bend. I often remind myself–Liana you don’t want to be found on the banks—no matter what it brings or how scary that river is, you want to be IN that river; going where you’re meant to be going with God.
For it says in John chapter 15, verse 5 that, ‘If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.’ So I choose to stay in the river of his will even if my soul needs ministering to along the way.
Speak hope to your soul
Sometimes we are in a grace-rain of being able to feel God singing his love over us as in Zephaniah chapter 3, verse 17: ‘He will rejoice over you with singing’. Sometimes we can’t feel it and we have to dig deep into the well of God’s truth and love. Sometimes like the psalmist David we need to speak to our soul and declare that God is faithful and speak our trust in God afresh.
David does this in Psalm chapter 43, verse 5, ‘Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God for I will yet praise him, my Saviour and my God.’ David even tells his soul to be at rest in Psalm chapter 62, verse 5 and again in Psalm chapter 116, verse 7, ‘Return to your rest, Oh my soul, for the Lord has dealt bountifully with you.’
The struggle
In our spirit where Jesus lives we are always rejoicing and in communion with God. Our soul however—the place of our desires, our will, our emotions—can be the place that trips us up. I know for me I have known first-hand what it is to struggle between the soul and the spirit. My spirit steadfastly trusts God and my soul continues to yearn and grieve for my heart’s desires to come already.
Our wounds
It is inevitable for our soul to feel wounded at times and there is a wisdom in bringing those wounds before God for him to heal and bring restoration for ‘He heals the broken hearted and binds up their wounds’ (Psalm chapter 147, verse 3).
Unfortunately, many Christians don’t know they are carrying huge wounds around in their souls and have not asked Jesus to reveal where they need healing or asked him into the root cause of many symptoms and issues in our lives.
God once showed me a trapdoor in my heart where I had buried my deepest grief and asked me if he can come in and bring his love and healing. Gosh you’d think that would be a resounding yes but it is hard to let him in to your deepest pain! Some things we want buried deep deep down where we can’t feel the pain of it.
We even build fortified walls around our pain sometimes so no one can come in. But we need to let him in because He is the only one who can bring about the miracle of restoration. He is the only one who can cleanse us and bring fresh winds of hope and joy.
A revelation
There is also a revelation with this that I believe the enemy does NOT want any of us to know and if our wounds are not tended to by Jesus, they can begin to fester and can then allow lies of the enemy to come and take root. Lies such as: we are not loved; that we have been abandoned by God; that there is no hope; that life will never change; that God will not be faithful.
These destructive thought patterns and fears can take root in wounds which are not addressed. We can be carrying wounds of rejection, disappointment, offense, hurt or abuse and we need to run to Jesus with our wounds so he can heal them before they grow into trees of sin such as pride, anger, resentment and unforgiveness.
Symptoms and cyclic behaviour such as addictions, depression, and anxiety show us that the root cause needs to be addressed and healed completely by Jesus. Sometimes shards of glass—traumas and wounds—need to be removed out of our heart so it can go on beating and being the ‘wellspring of life’ as in Proverbs chapter 4, verse 23.
A testimony
One day whilst in prayer the Lord showed me a wound in my soul. I quickly gave it to the Lord in a gush of tears and repentance and felt His love like honey healing come and wrap me and the wound in His light and love. My wound was enveloped in his Glory until I just knew that I knew that I knew that He loved me.
All the lies dropped away and I knew He had not forgotten me. I later read Isaiah chapter 49, verses 15-16 which just confirmed his love for me. It said this: ‘Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne?
Though she may forget, I will NOT forget you. See I have engraved you on the palms of my hands. You are ever before me.’ —Hallelujah!
Liana is a passionate and creative soul, living in South Australia and married to her artist husband of 12 years, Justin. Liana is an early childhood educator and also writes, sings, occasionally dances, loves nature, is a psalmist and runs a women's ministry.