By His Stripes

[Rita Hancock]

This morning, God woke me up with an overwhelming thought in my head, “Somebody is trying to get your attention.” I didn’t know who He was talking about, so I checked on my husband and kids, who were still sleeping, and I read Scripture, prayed, and read the day’s devotion. I had a sense that he wanted me to minister to or pray for somebody, and I didn’t know who it was.

As I read, continuing to try to understand what God wanted to tell me, I came across the same Scripture twice, “But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed” (Isaiah 53:5). In particular, when I read, “…by his wounds we are healed,” I felt very strong resonance in my spirit and knew that God wanted me to pray for someone’s deep emotional healing. Not knowing who he was talking about, I prayed for everybody I knew, including you.

Here’s what I prayed for you, “Lord, please forgive us for putting foolish idols like food and weight loss before our love for you. Please help us find inner peace so we no longer seek solace in food. Help us draw near to You and remind us to look to You as our Comforter and source of truth. Help us feel loved, wanted, capable, beautiful, worthy, smart, valuable, clean, strong, and help us feel free from the lies of blame, guilt, and shame. Heal us all the way down, into our spirits and souls, as well as our bodies. Thank you for Your mercy and grace. Amen.”