When most people think of healing they think of it for their bodies, but the most significant type of healing can take place in the mind. Our minds are so powerful that what we think can affect us physically, for either good or bad. The mind’s ability could be compared to a supercomputer, only infinitely more complex because God created it. When we suffer an emotional wound the quality of our lives can be affected, which is why it’s so important to entrust our minds to God.
The mind is more than just a physical brain; we are spirit beings living in physical bodies, and we have souls (our minds, which are our thinkers and choosers). When we suffer emotionally, how fast we recover or whether we can bounce back at all depends on how we choose to respond. Focusing on our pain can hold us back from recovering, but meditating on the Word promotes peace and emotional healing even when we don’t understand it. “And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things” (Philippians 4:7, 8).
Instead of simply letting negative thoughts hang around, we must consciously think about what we’re thinking about. As believers, we have the same authority as Jesus, so taking authority over our thoughts is in accordance with spiritual law. The wrong kinds of thoughts cause us emotional pain and turmoil, but we’ve been authorized to cast them out and replace them with thoughts that agree with God’s Word. “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee” (Isaiah 26:3).
We stay trapped in the pain of emotional wounds when we trust ourselves to deal with the pain, but this kind of self-effort gets us nowhere. We can read self-help books all day long, but we’ll make no progress. The issue may seem so big and insurmountable that we don’t know how to deal with it. Only by trusting in God will we gain the insight to know what to do. “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths” (Proverbs 3:5, 6).
Being dragged down by emotional distress can leave us feeling hopeless, as if there’s no tomorrow. It can rob us of our joy and peace. God wants us to know there is a tomorrow, and He is well able to help us move forward. Instead of struggling with it alone, turning over this kind of burden to Christ changes our frame of mind. “Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit” (Romans 15:13, NKJV).
The mind can be a dark, sad place, but it can also be a joyful, light-filled place. We don’t have to tolerate emotional suffering. That’s not God’s will for us. “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope” (Jeremiah 29:11, NKJV). His promises give us healing where we need it the most.