It is no wonder that James 5:16 says, "Therefore confess your sins to one another and pray for one another that you may be healed.The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working." It is the assurance of God's forgiveness of our sins through Christ at the horizontal level as well as the merciful, prayerful response of a fellow Believer to our exposed indecencies.... that make sacramentally present Christ's intercession and God's forgiveness at the vertical level. Consequently, we are healed of the physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual illnesses that result from keeping our sins inside us (Ps 32:3); after all, the very nature of sin is death. A repentant sinner uncertain of God's pardon and peace remains ill. A friend who creates a climate for that sinner to bare her wounded soul and prays... facilitates the rehabilitation that God intends. A journey of restoration. A journey in the light of the Lord.
I had one of those chats over lunch today. While it doesn't exactly solve my predicament, nevertheless, spilling out, finally, my most troubled (and even evil) thoughts regarding the situation was very liberating. Could there be healing after all? I look forward to being depression-free.
Thanks, J.
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