Healing Bitterness: Discovering the Myrrh in Your Life

Bitterness is subtle. It doesn’t announce itself loudly — it grows quietly, like a root beneath the surface, spreading until it contaminates everything around it. Scripture warns us about this very thing:

looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled; - Heb 12:15 NKJV

Every believer will walk through seasons where God confronts the hidden roots of bitterness, pain, and disappointment. The Bible gives us a powerful symbol for this process: myrrh.

Myrrh at the Cross and the Tomb

When Jesus hung on the cross, they offered Him wine mixed with myrrh — a bitter substance meant to dull pain. He refused it. Later, when His body was prepared for burial, Nicodemus used a mixture of myrrh and aloes to wrap Him for the tomb.

Myrrh appears at both His suffering and His burial. It represents bitterness, but also purification, consecration, and preservation. It is the symbol of a necessary process — one that leads to resurrection.

Why Myrrh Matters in Our Spiritual Journey

The Hebrew root word for myrrh is lûṭ, meaning "to wrap tightly, envelop. Myrrh is also translated from another Hebrew word mara, meaning bitterness.

Myrrh was used in:

• Anointing oil for the tabernacle

• Worship

• Purification rituals

• Embalming, to preserve and prevent decay

  
  

Myrrh purges, but it also preserves. It cleanses, but it also protects. And spiritually, it represents the work God does in us when He confronts the bitterness we’ve carried for too long.

Just as root‑killing agents destroy a plant at its core, the Holy Spirit uses the blood of Jesus, the grace of God, and the love of Christ to destroy bitterness at its root. Love moves in, and bitterness moves out — but it happens through a process, not a moment.

Esther’s Season of Myrrh

Each young woman's turn came to go in to King Ahasuerus after she had completed twelve months' preparation, according to the regulations for the women, for thus were the days of their preparation apportioned: six months with oil of myrrh, and six months with perfumes and preparations for beautifying women. - Est 2:12 NKJV

Before Esther could stand before the king, she underwent a twelve‑month purification process:

• Six months in oil of myrrh

• Six months in perfumes and beautifying treatments

This wasn’t just cosmetic. It was symbolic.

Esther’s history as an orphaned Jewish girl was being washed away — not erased, but transformed. She was being prepared for elevation:

• From poverty to royalty

• From natural thinking to kingdom purpose

• From hiddenness to influence

  
  

God often takes us through a similar journey. He brings us from myrrh (bitterness, cleansing, purging) to frankincense (worship, healing, fragrance). Both are part of who we become.

Frankincense: The Companion to Myrrh

²² And they brought Him to the place Golgotha, which is translated, Place of a Skull. ²³ Then they gave Him wine mingled with myrrh to drink, but He did not take it.  – Mk 15:22

Frankincense was given to Jesus Christ as a gift at His birth, along with myrrh. Interesting that myrrh was also given to Him at His death. Myrrh was used for:

• Worship

• Sacrifices

• Healing wounds

• Stopping bleeding

• Perfumes and cosmetics

  
  

Pure frankincense was the essential ingredient in the incense burned before the Lord. It represented holiness, devotion, and intimacy with God.

Where myrrh purges, frankincense restores. Where myrrh cleanses, frankincense heals.

Many believers are still bleeding from old wounds — childhood trauma, betrayal, rejection, loss — yet resist the process God uses to heal them. But God desires to cover our wounds with the balm of Gilead, the healing presence of Christ.

Stepping Into Your Season of Myrrh

A season of myrrh is not punishment — it is preparation.

It is the season where God:

• Confronts bitterness

• Heals hidden wounds

• Purifies motives

• Preserves what is good

• Prepares you for elevation

  
  

It is the season before resurrection, before promotion, before purpose unfolds. If you feel like you’re in a bitter season, remember: myrrh always comes before frankincense. Cleansing comes before calling. Healing comes before holiness. Purging comes before purpose. And God never wastes the process.

Let's pray,

Heavenly Father, awaken my soul to the scent of frankincense. I repent for being in a place of bitterness. For far too long, I have chosen to hold on to unhealthy thoughts, and they have taken root. Forgive me, Lord Jesus, as I forgive those who have wronged me. I choose freedom today. In Jesus name, Amen