Hope, Help And Healing

Feature 1 – September 2021 – Grace & Truth Magazine

Hope, Help And Healing

Many people are experiencing the increasing weight of sorrow, guilt and remorse. They are in need of true repentance and forgiveness. The good news is that there is hope and help in Jesus Christ for every hurting heart!

It is not unusual for one to be sorrowful. Sorrow can be defined as extreme sadness, mental distress and pain. It can result from great unhappiness in life for our wrongdoing. Some causes for sorrow include injury, loss, disappointment and distress. Other sources are the consequences of addiction, abortion, division, divorce, secret sins – the list could go on and on. Sometimes we become focused on the situations without taking any action of resolution, so all we see and feel are our sorrows. David said, “I am troubled, I am bowed down greatly; I go mourning all the day long … I am ready to fall, and my sorrow is continually before me” (Ps. 38:6,17 NKJV). However, David anchored his hope in God, “For in You O LORD, I hope; You will hear, O Lord my God” (v.15).

Guilt is the bearing of responsibility for an offense or wrongdoing. There is often a remorseful awareness of having done something that is wrong, whether against God or a person. Sometimes the ghost of guilt keeps haunting the guilty one, and he or she tries to blame others to hide the hurt and cover it up rather than to deal with it.

We likely know about the story of Adam and Eve, who disobeyed God (Gen. 3). Although the word “guilt” is not specifically used, it is implied, as their eyes were opened to see their nakedness and shame, and to feel their guilt. “Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings … and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden” (Gen. 3:7-8).

David experienced the guilt of killing Uriah and taking his wife for himself. He tried to cover it up until Nathan confronted him and he admitted that he was guilty. “Why have you despised the commandment of the LORD, to do evil in His sight? You have killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword; you have taken his wife to be your wife, and have killed him … David said to Nathan, ‘I have sinned against the LORD’” (2 Sam. 12:9,13).

Although experiencing sorrow and guilt as a result of our sins, we can turn to God from our sins.

Repentance And Forgiveness

Repentance is to change one’s mind about sin. This results in turning away from sin, disobedience or rebellion and turning back to God. True repentance is not simply regret or remorse.

Remorse has to do with getting caught with the consequence of our actions, or regretting the actions done. It leaves a heavy weight of guilt that can result in suicide, as seen in Judas, who betrayed the Lord Jesus. Filled with remorse and regret, he killed himself. “Judas, His betrayer, seeing that He had been condemned, was remorseful and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders ... Then he threw down the pieces of silver in the temple and departed, and went and hanged himself” (Mt. 27:3,5).

However, true repentance is godly sorrow for sin. “For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death” (2 Cor. 7:10). While Judas had worldly sorrow, Peter, who had failed his Lord, had godly sorrow and repentance. “And the Lord turned and looked at Peter. Then Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how He had said to him, ‘Before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.’ So Peter went out and wept bitterly” (Lk. 22:61-62). Peter repented, and he went from his failure to forgiveness, feasting with the Lord and following Him (Jn. 21:12,19,22).

Forgiveness refers to God’s pardon of the sins of human beings. When God forgives, He removes the sin and restores the soul. David, struggling with sorrow and guilt, repented, and God forgave him and restored his soul (Ps. 51). Everyone needs forgiveness. God has reached the verdict that the world is legally guilty before Him and that all have sinned (Rom. 3:19,23). He has passed the sentence of death (6:23). But, in amazing love and grace He provided Christ – the perfect sacrifice – who, while we were sinners, died for us. He died for our sins, was buried and rose again the third day (5:8; 1 Cor. 15:3). “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace” (Eph. 1:7). Therefore, the vilest sinner in his sorrow and guilt can repent and have forgiveness of sins by faith, receiving Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior (Jn. 1:12).

Christians who have committed sins, or fallen, can repent and be restored to close fellowship with God (1 Jn. 1:7,9; consider Rev. 2–3). In light of His forgiveness for us, we ought to forgive one another for His sake (Eph. 4:32). Thus, if you are struggling with deep sorrow, guilt and remorse, and are feeling brokenhearted for your sins, remember that you can repent of them. Turn to the Lord Jesus and receive His forgiveness from all your sins! Forgiveness is the medicine that can help heal broken hearts.

By Emmanuel V. John

When the Christian is faced with adversity and temptation, he acknowledges two important facts: first, he is weak, and second, God has the power to keep him from falling. If we dwell on our inadequacy, we will feel unable to cope with the future. But if we draw our strength from a source other than ourselves, we will be able to resist Satan’s opposition and the world’s pressures. That is why we need both the outer and inner support that comes only from God. Although we are weak, we are “kept by the power of God,” both from without and within (1 Pet. 1:5). D. J. De Haan wrote: Though weak and helpless in life’s fray God’s mighty power shall be my stay; Without, within, He gives to me The strength to gain the victory.
Let us remember that God’s resources are always able to meet our needs (Phil. 4:19).
—Fred Niemeyer