Maybe you’ve said the sinner’s prayer, but what’s the current condition of your spiritual heart? Could your bruised spiritual heart be affecting your physical health?
The passing of the Israelites through the Red Sea is symbolic of the salvation we receive as individuals when we accept Jesus into our hearts. Just as, through Moses, God rescued the people of Israel from their bondage to the Egyptians, through the death and resurrection of Jesus, God rescues the sinner from the bondages of sin.
The account of the people of Israel going through the desert of Shur is symbolic of God’s solution to the problems of our hearts caused by sin. It also explains our need for a touch from Jesus so our hearts may be healed. This account can be found in Exodus 15: 22-26.
Shortly after the Israelites reached the other side of the Red Sea, they began their journey to the Promised Land. To get there, they had to go through the desert of Shur. After traveling three days in the desert without finding water, they came to a place called Mirah that had pools of water. However, the water was so bitter that the people could not drink it. They complained to Moses, and he in turn cried out to God who provided a solution. God directed Moses to throw a large piece of wood into the water, and the water then became sweet and drinkable. Then God told them…
“If you do what is right in the Lord’s eyes and obey my commands, I will not bring upon you the diseases that I brought upon the Egyptians.” Exodus 15:26
Here, God makes one of his ‘rules of life’ very clear. With obedience comes life. With disobedience, or sin, comes problems and suffering – in this case, disease. God places the responsibility squarely on our shoulders. When we disobey God’s laws, we will suffer.
This story of the waters at Mirah has much symbolism. Just as the Israelites spent hundreds of years in bondage and could not save themselves, we cannot save ourselves from the bondages of the sins of others against us and of our sins. The crossing of the Red Sea symbolizes our salvation by God’s grace and power. The people of Israel quickly discovered that their rescue from the Egyptians did not mean that they were free of troubles and challenges. God had not solved all their problems.
The bitter water they encountered in the desert is symbolic of the condition our our inner selves, our hearts. Typically, when we are saved, our salvation does not include the purification of our hearts from past wounds and relationship conflicts. The grudges, resentments, bitterness, guilt, unforgiveness and other negative emotions that are associated with past life events generally do not just fade away. These tensions and burdens of our hearts, if left unchecked, can cause physical issues such as arthritis, digestive problems, muscular skeletal pain, breathing issues and blood pressure problems.
Only the love and blood of Jesus Christ can purify our hearts from these type of issues.
I don’t believe that it’s coincidental that God’s remedy for the bitter water at Mirah was a wooden log. His solution for our sins was that Jesus die on a wooden cross. His death on the cross has taken away our sins and freed us from the bondage of sin. Applying the love and blood of Jesus to the issues of our hearts is another matter. We must be intentional in receiving the love of Jesus and allowing his love to permeate all the inner rooms of our hearts in order for our hearts to be ‘purified’ of the matters that blemish or wound them. Salvation is the beginning of one’s sanctification, or growth process in their journey to become more like Christ and mature as a believer. While we are on this pathway, we must continually open our hearts to Jesus so that he can purify them because life and its circumstances and stressors continue to come at us.
The more you allow Jesus to purify your heart, the less likely your emotional and physical health will be negatively impacted by the spiritual wounds that you’ve encountered along the way. Won’t you open your heart wide and invite Jesus to tend to any open wounds you might have? He is waiting and willing. He wants you to be more whole!
Related Resources
Article – God Wants You Whole
Article – Physical and Spiritual Care of Your Heart
Article – Spirituality and Your Health – Understanding the Connection
Credit. The idea for this blog post originated from the material that Dan Fountain, M.D. wrote on this topic in his book, God, Medicine and Miracles.
