"Are you hurting? Pray. Do you feel great? Sing. Are you sick? Call the church leaders together to pray and anoint you with oil in the name of the Master."
"Believing-prayer will heal you, and Jesus will put you on your feet."
"And if you’ve sinned, you’ll be forgiven—healed inside and out."
"Make this your common practice:"
"Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you can live together whole and healed."
excerpts above are from James 5 [MSG]
Our souls are represented by the jar, and the junk inside represents thoughts, sin, and baggage that we let break and build up around our heart through life. We are designed to share our burdens. Not hold on to them. The jar has a lid on it, trapping all the filth, lies, and confusion inside. We might think keeping everything inside keeps our broken heart from being exposed and vunerable. Or maybe we believe the lie that holding the mess inside is for the sake of others. The junk is the focus of the piece, because so often sin and hiding our sin consumes our focus. Unless we turn the jar upside down, we would never find healing.
Often it isn't until our world has been turned upside down that we have the courage to open our soul.
Let out all the junk. Fill up with the Word of God.
Let in healing and cleansing. Let out the living waters flow from your heart.
O death, where is your victory?
O death, where is your sting?
The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.
But thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
1 Corinthians 15:55-57(ESV)
A few years ago I was apart of a Creative Bible Study while studying graphic design at Harding Unviersity. This was a piece I created in response of James 5 title "Healed."
I was actually saving this post for April 16th, which marks my 18th year since declaring Jesus my Lord and Savior. If I could only express how many times Christ has rinsed my soul, cleaned out all the lies, and mended my heart. It didn't happen just on April 16th 1995...but it has happened thousands of times. At the very least 4,745 times. God continues to mold, make, and cleanse His people. The freedom I have because I have been forgiven and am made new every day.
I decided to post early because my local community is mourning and shocked from a crime spree. Tragedy is so familiar in our lives. Christ brings healing, forgiveness, and all good things into our life. I pray we don't give up and continue to share the gospel with our community. Resist the devil and he will flee! Sometimes we need to let God heal us not because of our sin, but because of the sin of others. We need Christ's love. His example. So that fear and bitterness do not poison our hearts.
