God Wants to Heal You | How to Process Pain from Past Hurts

Do you believe that God wants to heal you? You may have wondered, “If God wants me healed, then why does He allow me to experience pain from past hurts?”

Yes, God wants to heal you, but He also wants you to partner with His power in the process. 

“…His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.”—2 Peter 1:3-4 (Emphasis added)

Pain from Past Hurts

We can be triggered by a number of things: smells, sights, sounds, and situations. But what causes us to be triggered? Why do we emotionally respond to certain influences in ways that seem over the top or out of proportion to the event?

Often, intense responses are due to past hurts. These are the places in your heart and mind where God wants to heal you.

First, we must understand that it was not God who brought pain and hurt into the world. Satan tempted man to sin—to rebel and disobey God—in the Garden of Eden, and we took the bait, or the forbidden fruit if you will. But God, through His grace, provided a way for us to escape the penalty of rebellion, which was death, by receiving salvation through Yeshua the Messiah.

How to Process the Pain from Past Hurts

Before beginning the process of healing past hurts, ask God to prepare your heart. God wants to heal you. He wants to prepare you for the healing by relying entirely on Him. 

Prepare your heart by…

  • Getting into God’s Word every morning. Start your day, even if it is just for a few minutes, thanking God for who He is. Proclaim that He is the God Who Heals, Jehovah Rapha. The Hebrew word, rapha, means “to completely make whole, to thoroughly repair, restore, and mend.” 
  • Asking God to reveal what is in your heart and mind. Ask God to reveal areas of hurt that need healing. David wrote in Psalm 139:23-24, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me and know my anxieties; and see if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”

The Message version of this passage in Psalm 139 says it powerfully…

Investigate my life, O God, find out everything about me; cross-examine and test me, get a clear picture of what I’m about; see for yourself whether I’ve done anything wrong—then guide me on the road to eternal life.” (Emphasis added)

David wanted God to cross-examine him, to investigate his innermost thoughts and intentions of his heart. This is a bold plea. As Believers who are confident in Christ’s atoning blood, we can pray this in the Courts of Heaven, asking God to examine us. When we do, and all is brought out to the open, we can repent—turn to God—and come into agreement with Him about sin and past hurts. This process silences the enemy. 

We prepare by spending time with God, proclaiming His power to heal, and asking God to investigate our thoughts in the Courts of Heaven. 

Starting the Process 

Step 1: Take note of intense responses. Rather than getting frustrated or allowing shame, guilt, or doubt of God’s ability to heal, to enter your mind, think of your intense responses as the Spirit communicating to you that this is an area where God wants to heal you. 

Pause and thank Him for investigating, cross-examining, searching, and revealing the hurt so you can begin the process of breaking free from it. 

Step 2: Ask God about the trigger. You have recognized the response. Now ask what triggered it. This takes you one step deeper into God’s healing. The trigger reveals a place where forgiveness needs to be released. It could be to forgive others or yourself. Keep this in mind as you move to step three. 

Step 3: Repent and forgive. Call out and take authority over the emotion and trigger. Ask God what needs repenting of, and to give you clarity on the lies you believe. Repentance and forgiveness are the keys to healing and provide you with hope. The enemy will try to keep you from repenting and forgiving because he always works in opposition to God. If God wants to heal you, the enemy wants to keep you in a cycle of despair and doubt. 

Step 4: Move forward. Move forward by giving thanks. Thank God for the opportunity to turn past hurts over to Him and to worship Him in this way. Thank Him for reminding you of the salvation and authority you have in Yeshua. Ask Him to continue to work in this place and to give you strength and remembrance for the next time the enemy throws an arrow at you. Armor up (see Ephesians 6), holding up your shield of faith. 

Click here to get your copy of "7 Steps to Emotional Healing."

Putting It Together in Prayer

Here is an example of someone who responded to a trigger in anger. 

“Father God, in the name of Jesus, I recognize that I am angry and sinned in my anger. I yelled and lost my temper, giving the enemy a foothold. My anger was triggered by the feeling of being mistreated and disrespected. Lord God, I repent of my anger. I know that, while the unfair treatment is not right, my anger is not justified. My anger doesn’t set anything right, as it is not my anger that justifies, but faith in Yeshua, according to Romans 5:1. 

“Lord God, I release forgiveness to the one who mistreated me. God, Your Word says to love your enemies. Lord God, I pray for (name). I pray that you bless and reveal Yourself to him/her in a new way, that they might encounter Your love. 

“Lord God, I confess that anger has caused bitterness and resentment. I call out the spirits of anger, bitterness, resentment, and any others that are partnering with them, and declare that they must leave in Jesus’ name. They are no match for You, O God. Your Spirit, who is in me, is gentle, loving, joyful, peaceful, patient, kind, good, faithful, and controlled. I renounce any root that is not of You and welcome only the things that will produce good fruit, the fruit of the Spirit. Lord God, the new creation You have made me in Yeshua, walks in perfect harmony with You. I decree and declare that You want me healed. So, I humbly ask now that Your Spirit take over. You are Jehovah Rapha. 

“Lord, show me the areas that are broken and hurt. Where is this anger coming from? What is it in my past that is unhealed? (Pause as God starts to reveal. Wait on Him.)

“Lord, move into this place. I repent (repent of what He shows you), and I forgive (forgive who He shows you). I ask You to release Your healing now, in Jesus’ name. I believe that Your Word will not come back void. Your Word says that by Your stripes, I am healed. I claim this promise now, in Jesus’ name! Amen and amen!”

As with any prayer, let Holy Spirit guide you. Ask Him to put a new song in your mouth and know God wants to heal you!

A shallow focus shot of a female grabbing the hand of Jesus Christ for healing and help

God Wants to Heal You | 7 Bible Verses to Remember

  1. Malachi 4:2

“But to you who fear My name, the Sun of Righteousness shall arise with healing in His wings; and you shall go out and grow fat like stall-fed calves.”

  1. Psalm 107:20-21

“He sent His word and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions. Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness, and for His wonderful works to the children of men!”

  1. Exodus 23:25

“So you shall serve the Lord your God, and He will bless your bread and your water. And I will take sickness away from the midst of you.”

  1. James 5:14-16

“Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.”

  1. 1 Peter 2:24

“who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed.”

  1. 3 John 1:2

“Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers.”

  1. 1 Thessalonians 5:23

“Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Meditate on these scriptures as you prepare your heart to receive the wholeness and healing God has for you in this season! Remember, God wants to heal you!