‘“I’m a failure.”

“I am no use to God; I can’t think why He bothers with me.”

“He wouldn’t want to answer my prayers.”

“I seem to come back to Him asking forgiveness for the same thing over and over again.”’


These quotations come from Colin Urquhart’s book, In Christ Jesus, which sets out to show us how we can be free from such ‘defeat’. When I first read this book, I had never before realised how significant that little word ‘in’ is in the New Testament. Understanding that, as Christians, we are ‘in’ Christ Jesus revolutionises how we see ourselves, and our identity.


Write your name on a piece of paper. Take hold of your Bible to represent Christ. Place the paper in the book and close it. You are in Christ. Where the book goes you go. Where the paper goes he goes. You are not part of the book, but you are now identified totally with the book.


Paul uses this expression, ‘in Christ Jesus’, over and over again. God has taken hold of you and placed you in Christ. In Christ, you have received ‘every spiritual blessing’ (Ephesians 1:3). All of the
blessings, including those that the Old Testament speaks about, are yours in Christ.

1. The blessings of God’s love and healing


‘You will bless,’ writes David (v.28). All of God’s blessings flow out of his love for you: ‘out of the goodness of your love’ (v.21, Ephesians 1:4,5,11, Isaiah 54:10). God’s love supports you and helps you to stand, even when others ‘scorn’ and ‘curse’ you (Psalm 109:25–26). He stands at your ‘right hand’ (v.31a).


God saves our lives (v.31b, Isaiah 52:10). He heals our wounded hearts. David says, ‘My heart is wounded within me’ (Psalm 109:22). God loves to use people who have been wounded and then healed because no one can minister better than a person who has had the same wound and then been healed by God (see 2 Corinthians 1:3–4).


Lord, thank you for your wonderful love for me. Heal my wounded heart and help me to bring healing to others.