The Bible has a lot to say about rewarding us. And if we grew up in a religious experience or culture, we might think that those rewards only have to do with things like leading others to the Lord or doing good works. But there’s actually a reward for the suffering that we experience, and that’s what I want to share today, especially as it relates to inner healing and deliverance.
The scripture is in Isaiah 61:8-9 and it’s in the New Living Translation. So, the context of the scripture is actually the coming of the Messiah. So this is talking about the work of the cross and what happened as a result of Jesus coming to forgive our sins. Verse 8 of Isaiah 61, “For I, the LORD, love justice. I hate robbery and wrongdoing. I will faithfully reward my people for their suffering and make an everlasting covenant with them. Their descendants will be recognized and honored among the nations, and everyone will realize they are a people the Lord has blessed.”
At the beginning of my own journey of inner healing and deliverance, and I needed a lot of that, I found there were times when I was grieving the loss that I experienced through some of the trauma and pain in my childhood. And one day the Lord showed me this verse, and I knew He was speaking to me and saying, “Look, everything you work through, every choice you make to pursue wholeness will be rewarded, because God is a rewarder.” So I just want to speak to you and say everything you choose in pursuing wholeness for your life, you will be rewarded for, because God is a good Father.
Eight times in the Book of Revelation, as the letters are written to the churches of that time, each letter is ended with this phrase “To the one who overcomes, I will give…” and God promises wonderful things like a white stone with our name written on it, a name that only God and we know. So it’s a real statement of intimacy with God.
Another promise for overcoming is that we will be, metaphorically, we will be pillars in the house of God and we will never have to leave again. And another one is that we will have the promise of sitting with Jesus on His throne near the Father.
So these wonderful promises of overcoming are part of the heavenly reward, but we also get rewarded on the earth. We get rewarded with freedom, we get rewarded with a sense of identity. And the whole time that we are pursuing inner healing and deliverance, God comes as Comforter. God comes in His kindness, and in His gentleness. So God rewards us as we pursue inner healing and deliverance. As one who has walked through much, I will testify to you, it is worth it. It is worth every effort we make.
Jesus, I thank you for this one who’s hearing this, and you know their hearts and you know if there are things where they need to pursue and take inner healing steps, I ask you for courage for them. Holy Spirit, come near them and bless them as they take these steps and set them up with favor and the right person in the right time and the right place. I ask in your name. Amen.