He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. Psalm 147:3 NIV

I wish I could wipe away every hurt, rejection, and loss the world has thrown at you so that you wouldn't have to experience the deep wounds and heartaches that are inevitable to happen to us on this side of heaven. But, I do know that though I can't protect you from hurting, the Holy Spirit that Christ guaranteed to us can provide the healing your hurting so desperately needs.
Who is the Holy Spirit, and how does he heal our heartaches?

First, let's start with who is the Holy Spirit? He is the third person in the Trinity (yes, I said person. He is not a light force or some supernatural power. He is a person). The Holy Spirit has existed since the beginning of time.

"Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters." Genesis 1:2 NIV

The Holy Spirit guides us into all truth through God's word, comforts us in our grief, and is our guarantee that we have eternal life.

Here are three ways the Holy Spirit heals our deepest heartaches:

1. He helps us forgive our offenders.

Isn't it wonderful to know that you don't have to muster up fake forgiveness? The Holy Spirit can enable and empower you to forgive! Of course, it will require a conscious effort to forgive and not pick back up the bitterness and hurt caused by the other person, but it is possible to be healed from past hurts. The Spirit desires to manifest the love of God in your life. And when kindness and compassion rule in your heart, forgiveness rather than bitterness results. Given that we have experienced God's mercy through Christ, should we not be more eager to forgive? If we are to progress in our Christian walk, we must rely on the Spirit's power to forgive.

"Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you." Ephesians 4:32

2. He turns our desperation and delays into praise.

The Holy Spirit produces in us the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, and faithfulness. Our faith is grown when, despite our delayed prayers and desperation to get out of difficult situations, we continue to rely on the Spirit to produce an abundant harvest of fruit in our lives. We can honestly find true contentment in all circumstances by living in close communion with Christ and keeping in step with the Holy Spirit.

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such things, there is no law." Galatians 5:22-23

Grow Your Faith with Free Resources

3. He reminds you that you have a real enemy, and it's not her.

In Ephesians 6, we are reminded of our need to learn how to use every piece of God's arsenal against our spiritual enemy, Satan. The command to put on the helmet of salvation is one such piece. As Christians, wearing this helmet means understanding the divine power and salvation we already possess in Christ. Walking in this reality won't always be easy. There will be times when you'll struggle to keep your flesh in check. But in those moments, pray that the Spirit gives you strength so that your declaration of faith will display itself in your actions. Now is the time to put this present salvation to work in your daily living.

Healing is a journey, not an overnight destination. Sometimes the pain others have caused or the pain we have caused others takes time to heal. We must also realize that God interacts with each of us differently. One person may be healed instantaneously by God, while the other, God, may gradually walk them through the pain. The important thing to remember here is to rely on the Holy Spirit daily. He can remove the bitterness taking up residence in your heart so that the beauty of Christ can radiate through your healed heart.