The Panic Attack
I had a panic attack about 1:30 am a week or so ago. When I woke my heart was thumping. And I asked myself what was happening. Why was I having a panic attack?
The previous day travel arrangements were made concerning my upcoming trip to Ukraine. Many things were settled. Nothing alarming took place. Everything went, pretty much as planned.
So, why was I having a panic attack?
For several weeks I had been planning my trip, trying to identify my fears and address them.
So that night as my heart was pounding I prayed: “God, I cannot think of any fears that I have not already identified and addressed. Have I missed something? If I’ve missed something, please bring it to mind. Otherwise, I’m going back to sleep.”
And I did. Thank you Jesus for your promises.
Mary Magdalene
Another night, closer to three am. I woke and couldn’t go back to sleep. So I decided to do a light study on the life of Mary Magdalene. First was a historical summary of her life found in the scriptures.
The thing that really interested me was her demonic possession. I wanted to know if the type of possession could be identified. That answer is still in the realm of the unknown.
What intrigued me was the Greek word (τεθεραπευμέναι) for “heal.” I looked at it and thought that looks like the English word “therapy” with a prefix and a suffix. How can that be?
So, I dug a little deeper and sure enough, the root word in Greek is where we get the word for therapy in the English language.
This doesn’t mean Jesus only rendered “therapy” to Mary. He definitely healed her and cast out seven demons. But there is healing that takes place in therapy.
This affirms the value of a good counselor, or therapist. God is truly interested in emotionally healthy spirituality.
And the greatest therapeutic healing begins when someone decides to believe the Bible, God’s Word and act on their belief. Complete healing will take place in eternity. There is hope. Never give up.