Most people think of healing from a physical standpoint, in terms of the body recovering from an injury. That’s certainly one facet of it, but there are other aspects of healing as well. Our enemy, the devil, delights in stealing from us; some of the things he tries to take away are our peace of mind and the sense of emotional stability and security that comes from trusting in Christ. However, he’s no match for Jesus, who heals our emotions with one touch.

Wholeness, with nothing missing and nothing broken, is God’s will for us. The enemy tries to steal our joy and everything else we value in our lives. God restores it. “The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly” (John 10:10).

During His ministry, Jesus healed and restored to perfect wholeness people who had faith in Him. This didn’t just pertain to physical healing, but mental and emotional healing as well. Once, He healed a man who had been possessed by evil spirits. “And they come to Jesus, and see him that was possessed with the devil, and had the legion, sitting, and clothed, and in his right mind: and they were afraid” (Mark 5:15). The enemy has no chance when he encounters Christ.

Healing also took place with the woman who asked Jesus to heal her daughter (Matthew 15:28), and the boy from whom Jesus cast out demons before delivering him back to his father (Luke 9:42, AMPC). This kind of deliverance and complete recovery comes only from God. Jesus’ coming to restore everything that was missing or broken was prophesied in the Old Testament. “And nothing of theirs was lacking, either small or great, sons or daughters, spoil or anything which they had taken from them; David recovered all” (1 Samuel 30:19, NKJV). This was fulfilled in Jesus’ death and resurrection.

A thorough knowledge of God’s Word concerning healing, and a willingness to stand on it whenever the devil shows up, is an effective weapon against his attacks. He uses every situation he can to highlight the negative aspects of things that happen in our lives in hopes of crumbling our trust in Jesus. Satan is a liar and a thief, but when this thief tries to steal what God wants us to have, we’re empowered to stop him. “People do not despise a thief if he steals to satisfy himself when he is starving. Yet when he is found, he must restore sevenfold; he may have to give up all the substance of his house” (Proverbs 6:30, 31, NKJV). When we realize what he’s up to, we have the authority to make him return everything he stole, and then some.

This authority is one of the results of the finished works of Jesus, the God of restoration. When Satan stole from Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden, Christ later came and restored the balance of power back to God’s original plan. He also restored everything that the enemy stole or destroyed. “And I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten, the cankerworm, and the caterpiller, and the palmerworm, my great army which I sent among you” (Joel 2:25). We claim this restoration by faith.

Believers don’t have to tolerate brokenness. The word “shalom” not only means peace, but also complete, intact, and in good health. Jesus is our peace, our healing, and our wholeness. For true healing and restoration on every level, He’s our shalom.