Why Healing Trauma Isn’t a Quick Fix—and Why It Requires Surrender to God
- Feb 25
- 4 min read
Many people want quick healing but often find themselves frustrated. I have empathy for them as I have walked the road myself. But we need to view healing as a journey, not just an event. Trauma is not a quick fix because it involves deep restoration at the spirit, soul, and body levels. It requires surrender to God because true healing is not just symptom relief but also transformation and alignment with God’s design for our lives.
Here’s why:
1. Trauma Affects Multiple Layers of Our Being
Spirit: Trauma can cause spiritual disconnection, where a person struggles to hear God or trust Him.
Soul (Mind, Will, Emotions): Trauma imprints on the brain, shaping thought patterns, emotions, and even subconscious responses.
Body: The nervous system holds trauma in the form of dysregulation (fight, flight, freeze, fawn), and healing takes time as the body learns safety again.
1 Thessalonians 5:23 says, “May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul, and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
This shows that healing is a process of sanctification affecting all parts of our being.
2. Trauma Creates False Identities and Survival Strategies
Trauma builds false identities and survival strategies (self-protection, fear, avoidance). These develop as coping mechanisms that protect us but are not aligned with God’s truth.
We must deal with the lies that keep us in these survival strategies, such as false belief systems related to our experiences. We also need to deal with the fragmentation caused by trauma. This is often part of the lengthy process, as there is a spectrum of dissociation linked to fragmentation. There needs to be a "de-programming" to break down these structures that protect us.
These must also be unlearned through surrendering to God and allowing Him to bring healing into our brokenness.
Romans 12:2 – “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.”
Healing involves renewing the mind, which is a process, not an instant event. It involves dismantling the belief systems that keep fragmentation in place and facing the difficult aspects of our trauma. It also involves renewing our minds through Christ and bringing His truth to uncover the enemy's lies.
2 Corinthians 10:4-5 – “The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.”
Trauma often builds strongholds (deep mental patterns or belief systems), which require time and spiritual authority to dismantle. Often, there is also demonic influence, which is often well hidden behind the pain of trauma.
3. The Role of Surrender in Healing
Quick fixes often rely on human strength, but true healing comes from intimacy with God and daily surrender (John 15:5). Jesus invites us to give Him our burdens (Matthew 11:28-30).
Oftentimes, healing requires deep spiritual work—deliverance, forgiveness, or allowing God to restore lost years (Isaiah 61:1, Joel 2:25).
Matthew 11:28-30 – “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”
Healing isn’t about striving but resting in God’s presence.
John 15:5 – “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me, you can do nothing.”
Healing is a process of abiding in Him.
4. Some Trauma Needs Deliverance and Deep Inner Work
Certain wounds carry spiritual bondage that needs both inner healing and deliverance.
Isaiah 61:1 says, “He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners.” Some wounds hold people captive until Jesus sets them free.
Mark 9:29 also shows that often, our healing is not a quick fix - “This kind can come out only by prayer and fasting.” Some deep traumas involve spiritual strongholds that require persistent prayer.
5. God’s Timing and Process Are Intentional
Healing takes time because God works layer by layer. He restores in a way that builds trust and dependence on Him.
Ecclesiastes 3:11 is one of my favourite verses. “He has made everything beautiful in its time.” God’s healing process is in His perfect timing.
Philippians 1:6 – “He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion.”
The process of healing is ongoing, and God is faithful to complete it.
You are not alone in your healing. Bring your trauma to God and trust Him in the journey. It is where God uncovers deeper, hidden truths, and it is also where our beauty is forged out of the ashes of our pain. I have the most wonderful testimonies of those who were willing to press in and push past the challenges of dealing with their trauma. The result has been a transformed life, the revelation of destiny and purpose, and strength and resilience in life.
Reflection:
Where do I need to surrender more in my healing journey?
Prayer:
Heavenly Father,
I come before You, acknowledging that healing is not a quick fix but a journey that requires trust in You. I lay down my pain, my past, and my desire for instant relief at Your feet. You see the wounds I carry, the parts of me that feel stuck, and the areas where I have tried to heal in my own strength. I surrender them to You now.
Lord, I ask for Your healing touch in my spirit, soul, and body. Renew my mind with Your truth, calm my heart with Your peace, and restore what has been broken. Help me trust your process, even when it feels slow or uncertain. I choose to abide in You, knowing that I can do nothing apart from You.
Jesus, You came to heal the brokenhearted and set captives free. I invite You into every wounded place in me. Lead me on the path of healing in Your perfect timing. Strengthen me when I grow weary, and remind me that You are working all things together for my good.
I surrender to You, Lord. Have Your way in my healing journey. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Bless you all today in the mighty name of Yeshua!
Shalom.
If you would like to start your healing journey with God and unravel the deeper aspects of trauma, join our Take Up Your Space online program. You can work through it at your own pace. Alternatively, keep an eye on our events calendar for the Take Up Your Space Course starting in May.