Exchanging Brokenness for Wholeness Through the Holy Spirit
When shame, fear, and anger dominate our inner landscape, we find ourselves trapped in a fog that obscures the Holy Spirit's work in our lives. There is a prayer offered below that is called the Prayer of Exchange. It offers a transformative pathway from darkness into the freedom and fullness that God intends for every believer.
The Power of Regular Exchange
A regular practice of exchanging wounds and lies for the Fruit of the Spirit creates positive, life-changing results. Faith increases because we experience God's power rather than only paying lip service. David Benner describes this transformation as moving from an "egocentric life to a theocentric one," where openness to God displaces the self's quest for control and allows us to focus on the Kingdom of God.
Our spiritual sensitivity becomes renewed, making the reality of the Spirit fresher and deeper in our daily experience. Ruth Barton emphasizes that this kind of prayer moves us "beyond … words and concepts, into communion” with God, making connection with others and with the Spirit simpler as the cynicism and distrust that permeated our relationships is replaced by the work of the Spirit.
We begin to expect the Spirit to act in our favor and on the behalf of others because we see and sense His goodness at work. These transformative results can occur in powerful, miraculous moments that resolve inner struggles definitively, but more often exchanging our wounds and lies becomes an ongoing spiritual practice.
The Cost of Avoiding Exchange
Failure to exchange our brokenness for wholeness offered through the Fruit of the Spirit leaves us vulnerable in dangerous ways. We may feel like imposters because we do not personally experience the power we profess to others. Henri Nouwen warned that those unprepared for deeper spirituality create distance between themselves and others rather than connection, and find it difficult to offer genuine care to others.
We also lack clarity about how the Holy Spirit is at work in situations around us because we have not experienced clarity about how the Holy Spirit works in our own lives. Failure to exchange our shame, fear, and anger misaligns our inner reality with the goodness of the Holy Spirit and creates a fog around the Spirit's intent.
Benner points out that "ego is the first major barrier" to openness with God "because ego resists surrender, and because openness to God is at core an act of surrender". Failure to confront negative emotions keeps us trapped in self-serving emotions instead of pursuing the Kingdom of God wholeheartedly.
The Journey from Wounds to Wholeness
When we exchange our brokenness for the fullness of the Holy Spirit, transformation occurs that moves us from woundedness and false beliefs to wholeness and an ability to sense the Holy Spirit's work. The prayer practice provided below offers a simple starting point for experiencing this exchange. It confronts our main struggle, whether it is with shame, fear, or anger, and offers it for the Fruit of the Spirit.
This is not a prayer that serves as a one-time solution. Inner struggles may arise repeatedly, and the practice of this prayer becomes part of our spiritual journey towards the fullness of the Fruit of the Spirit in our lives. As Benner stated, honest transformation requires only that we "turn in openness and trust with whatever measure of each we can offer" to God.
Recognizing Unresolved Pain
This prayer functions as a proactive step towards God's healing, seeking the restorative power of the Holy Spirit over emotions that flow out of a response to our brokenness. How can we identify unresolved pain? One sign of unresolved issues is when we think or hear about a situation and cringe inside under the weight of shame, fear, or anger.
The emotional pain caused by damaging events can short-circuit our ability to believe in the redemptive power of God. Others may have treated us in ways that harmed, intimidated, or embarrassed us. I can echo from my own experience something I read from Henri Nouwen. He recognized in his own life that despite his ministry to others, he suffered "debilitating bouts of insecurity, loneliness, and self-contempt".
The experience of the transformative power of exchange allows God to take what was intended for evil in our lives and use it for good. As Scripture says, "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God" (2 Corinthians 1:3).
Practicing the Prayer of Exchange
The prayer below can be used as a guide for offering the brokenness of our lives to the Lord. This can be used as a regular practice to consistently address our inner struggles.
Lord Jesus, I confess my shame, fear, and anger to you. I offer to you every place in my life that has been dominated by these emotions. Whatever wounds, lies, or sins have imprisoned my emotions, I give those to you.
I come to the cross and renounce my shame, fear, and anger. I confess that these emotions have complicated my woundedness through a false narrative of doubt, worthlessness, inadequacy, abandonment, and inferiority. I offer to you my brokenness and self-deception perpetuated by shame, fear, and anger in exchange for the love, joy, peace, patience, and the fullness of the Fruit of the Spirit. Come Holy Spirit and redeem the brokenness of my life to begin a new journey with you from this day forward. In the holy name of Jesus, amen.
Becoming Wounded Healers
As we practice this prayer of exchange, we discover what Nouwen called the ministry of the wounded healer. We don't need to achieve perfect wholeness before helping others; rather, we offer our own journey of healing as a source of hope and guidance. Our wounds, carefully tended and offered to God, become "a major source of healing power" for those who come after us.
Benner writes that once we "experience even for a moment the sense of being sufficiently open to God to allow God to flow through you, desire, not willpower, becomes all that is necessary to lead you forward". This transformative encounter with God's healing power equips us not only for our own wholeness but also prepares us for prayer ministry to help others on their journey toward freedom. This Prayer of Exchange creates space for the Spirit's transforming work and as an ongoing practice, we will find that our brokenness becomes the place where we can encounter the redemptive power of the Spirit in our lives.
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This article is part of a five-part series on cultivating healthy prayer ministry. Together, these posts trace a pathway for learning to minister from wholeness rather than woundedness. Each installment builds on the last, offering frameworks, practical insight, and practical steps for experiencing the Holy Spirit’s power in your everyday life. You’ll find links to previous posts in the series below.”
Why I Want to Share a Path to Healthy Prayer Ministry
Breaking Free: How Inner Healing Prepares You for Healthy Prayer Ministry
When Hidden Wounds Block Your Prayers: Understanding Guilt, Shame, and Fear
From Doubt to Sacred Partnership: How God Uses Your Brokenness in Prayer Ministry
