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Tell God Where It Hurts
I found myself awake and praying until 3am this morning over a hurtful remark that was hard to forgive. Finally, the fear of the Lord gripped me. Here is how it happened: I sensed the Lord saying,"If you will forgive that person and bless them, I will bless you. If you don't, you will miss a great blessing." It dawned on me that holding unforgiveness towards that person was not worth missing the blessing God had for me. I am learning that to fear the Lord is to fear missing His best for my life. Goodbye, unforgiveness. You are not worth losing any more sleep over. I'm going to bed.
Later the next day, the Lord said to me, "Let's take another look at why you were hurt." Often the Holy Spirit interrupts my perspective and begins surgery without my permission. His scalpel touched on something I didn't want to hear, but His presence made me willing. "Faithful are the wounds of a friend [who corrects out of love and concern], but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful [because they serve his hidden agenda." Proverbs 27:6 (AMP). Often our hurts come from those closest to us. He was showing me that what the person said to me hurt me because it actually had some truth in it. To God, it was a helpful hurt. When I understood His truth, the Great Physician began pouring in the oil and the wine. "Let the righteous smite me; and it shall be a kindness: and let him reprove me; it shall be an excellent oil...." Psalm 141:5 (KJV).
Since I have embraced this criticism for my good, I have experienced a fresh anointing on my life and in my ministry. It is truly an "excellent oil" covering my head ( my mind and soul ) and I'm experiencing God's love for that person as though the incident never happened. Perhaps this was the great blessing He had in mind to give me all along.
Bill Yount
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