Trusting the Hand That Heals You

Luna, my little bundle of joy covered in fur, has a heart condition—congestive heart failure with a level 5 murmur🥺. Every day, she needs medicine to keep her heart steady. My mom, with her overpowering presence, has to watch Luna for me sometimes and administer said medicine. She kneels down to give it, but Luna won’t even look at her. She turns away, suspicious and afraid, completely avoiding the outstretched palm that holds the medicine for her heart. It's always a fight.

And in that scenario, I see a glimpse of us all: our hearts in need of healing yet distant to the one who extends His hand to us. We are not so different from Luna with her weak heart. In our case, we have hearts that are weary from carrying the weight of past betrayals, disappointments, and seemingly unanswered prayers. God, the Great Physician, stands before us with hands outstretched, offering what is necessary for our healing in the correct measure (or dose) we require. Sometimes, His presence alone is the cure. Yet, like Luna, we sometimes turn away, questioning the Giver, unsure if His intentions are truly good. We’ve heard that He is a God of love, but our hearts hesitate, haunted by the hurts from people meant to love, protect or guide us. We mistakenly and unconsciously project these experiences onto God. We think, how could He really love us?

Relationship Matters‍

‍But Luna will quickly swallow the medicine when I give it to her. Why? Because we have a relationship. She trusts me and believes that what I give her is good, even if she doesn’t fully understand what the medicine does. It’s the bond we’ve built over time and her surrendered trust that make this possible, and because of it, her little doggy life is extended.‍

🌻 How would we receive (even more) from God, if we haven't nurtured our relationship with Him, or surrendered fully to what He says is good?

Relationship is required in order to receive.

Someone might think, “Well, that statement isn’t true, because we received everlasting life through Jesus, not our own works.” And that’s correct. Salvation is entirely a gift of grace, made possible through Jesus’ sacrifice, not by anything we could earn (Ephesians 2:8-9). But it was still through the relationship between God and Jesus that we could receive this incredible gift.

Jesus speaks of this deeper intimacy when He tells His disciples, “I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends…” (John 15:15). This friendship was formed through their time spent together, through shared experiences and their obedience. And just as Jesus invited His disciples into a deeper relationship, He invites us, too.

Others might wonder, “If God loves me so much, why doesn’t He try to build a relationship with me?” But here’s the beautiful truth, a little louder for those in the back: He has. Even before we thought to seek Him, God pursued us first. Romans 5:8. He reached out before we ever knew to respond. The Creator of the universe doesn’t need us, yet He wants us. That says everything about the depth of His love and His relentless pursuit of a relationship with us. He has much more to offer than we can ever imagine. It's our pains in this world that blinds us from that spiritual truth.

The Call to Trust

His hands, scarred from sacrifice, have always been extended toward us, offering healing and hope. Yet we are the ones who pull back, driven by an instinct for self-preservation that ironically keeps us from the One who can truly heal us. Proverbs 3:5 calls us into a deeper trust: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.” Yes, with all our heart. It’s a call to release fears and distorted perceptions, to embrace the truth of God’s character, and to fully receive the good He longs to give us. Everything else will fall into place.

Unlike Luna, who relies on her canine instincts, we can CHOOSE to bypass those fears that disguise themselves as instincts. If something contradicts God’s truth, it's a whole lie. We can CHOOSE to see God rightly, to lean into a relationship with Him, even when it feels like a wrestling match. We can CHOOSE to take His medicine for our hearts, without turning away from the love He’s been GIVING since the beginning.

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So let’s not misread the heart of the Giver. Because the medicine He offers is precisely what our hearts need.

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A Prayer for Trusting the Hand of the Healer

If this resonates, pray from your heart, speak in your own words. God bless you

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^{Heavenly Father,}

^{You are the Great Healer, the One who holds my heart in Your steady and loving hands. I confess that, like Luna, I may turn away, afraid, uncertain, and questioning Your goodness. Forgive me for the times I’ve doubted You, for the ways I’ve tried to guard myself instead of resting in Your embrace.}

^{Help me to see You rightly, to know Your heart of love, and to trust that what You offer is for my healing and wholeness. Cultivate in me a deeper relationship with You, one where I learn to receive from Your outstretched hands without hesitation. Thank You for pursuing me even when I didn’t seek You first, for loving me with a love that never fails.}

^{Teach me to surrender my fears and embrace Your grace. Make my heart whole in Your presence, and remind me that Your hands are the safest place for my soul.}

^{In Jesus’ name,}

^Amen.

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