Devotionals for the Heart: How to seek God when you need to be healed

Seeking God for Our Healing
A devotional by Essie Faye Taylor

“Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard.”—Isaiah 58:8 (NIV)

One day I woke up with pain in my left foot. I experienced a bit of discomfort. I had no idea where this pain came from, but it was undeniable.

The pain wasn’t debilitating, and it didn’t hinder my day-to-day operations. However, the pain was nagging. It stayed with me for weeks. I tried so many things to rid myself of this nuisance. I tried home remedies, massages, stretches, and exercises. But nothing seemed to work. Until one day it disappeared. I had no idea when the pain left; I only knew that it did–suddenly. I was healed, praise God!

In the Bible book of Isaiah, chapter 58, the prophet addresses the power of fasting and its place in individual and corporate healing. The chapter opens as God addresses Isaiah with the charge to cry aloud against the transgression of His people. Isaiah was to show the people of God their sin. Though the people of God desired relationship with Him and proximity to Him, they had a problem—their hearts were full of strife and pride. They also were misappropriating the sacred practice of fasting. Clearly, they had the wrong priorities. They were fasting with the wrong motive. God speaks about the purpose of the fast that He ordained.

God-ordained fasting penetrates the soul and spirit, while simultaneously disciplining the body. Fasting is the act of abstaining from all or some kinds of food or drink, especially as a religious observance. It is the bowing of our will to God. Fasting helps to clear our mind so we can think with clarity, and it enables us to make good decisions about what God wants us to do. During our time of fasting, we deny our flesh in order to elevate and edify our spirit. In essence, we willfully give up food and drink in order to align our heart and mind to the will of God. Fasting is the embodiment of the constant battle between the flesh and spirit present in our human experience. Fasting is a work within us that shows up outside of us when God answers our prayers.

You will be counted as righteous before God because you have humbled your soul before Him by acknowledging your need for Him through fasting. The glory (presence) of the Lord shall be your rear guard. God has your back; He will stand for You. God will cover you with protection, peace, provision, and all the good things that come from His presence.

When we are committed to the spiritual discipline of fasting, God can respond with deliverance. Fasting enables God to align our thoughts with His. Remember: The power isn’t in our fasting. Healing comes from God in response to the spiritual intimacy of fasting. Nothing may change dramatically after fasting. We may still experience depression and behavioral health issues because those are rarely resolved through spiritual disciplines alone. Fasting is not the complete remedy for all that is making us ill, but it does help us in our faith walk with Jesus Christ. And sometimes, it does result in our healing—if not here on Earth, then in Heaven.

Let’s Pray:

Heavenly Father,

Help us to remember that Jesus Christ died on Calvary’s Cross so we might be healed by His stripes. Help us to believe and receive it. Help us to act in faith and move toward our restoration. Help us to deny our fleshly desires while edifying our spirit as we practice fasting. Help us to walk in victory, liberty, and light. We need Your help. We thank You for hearing our prayers and answering us. In the Name of Jesus Christ, we pray. Amen.

Song of Reflection: “I Surrender All” by CeCe Winans. Listen to it here.

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Author Bio:

Essie Faye Taylor is a woman of faith. She’s a bilingual author, educator, speaker, psalmist, and interpreter. 

Essie is the author of the “Finding the Love You Deserve” series for women and teens. She is deeply committed to motivating minorities, women, and youth to heal themselves, love and accept themselves, and pursue God while chasing their dreams and carving out their life’s path.

Essie is a Chicago native where she lives with her husband Donald Taylor II.

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Connect with Essie:
Website: www.essiefayetaylor.com
Amazon Author Page:
https://www.amazon.com/stores/Essie%20Faye%20Taylor/author/B09XF3TC22
Listen to Essie’s music at https://on.soundcloud.com/X6DeoRXra7YoKcC2A.
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_essie_faye/ 
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/esther.tate.39
Read Essie’s YouVersion Devotion Plan here: http://bible.us/r/Abn