God’s Healing Power

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“But he was pierced for our transgressions;
he was crushed for our iniquities;
upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,
and with his wounds we are healed.”
Isaiah 53:5   English Standard Version

This is what happens when pre-teen boys play around with Swiss Army knives. I was planning on a full work day when Murphy’s law happened. We ended up in the emergency room, to stitch a wound on the top of my son’s foot, after the knife fell off the edge of his nightstand. It looks worse than it actually was.

I shared this photo, and a friend remarked that the first thing she thought of was the spike lacerations of Jesus on the cross. I guess I can see the similarity, except that it was taken after the injury had been sutured.

It got me thinking of how God sent Christ to heal our messy lives through his sacrifice on the cross. The prophet Isaiah reminds us that while we may have gaping wounds and emotional scarring, it is Christ who binds them up and makes us whole again. Jesus suffered the piercings, so that we do not have to sustain eternal punishment.

While the injury was inconvenient, and will probably result in a scar, it gave me pause to reflect upon all the ways that God enters our lives to heal our broken soul. While Christ gave me salvation, the Holy Spirit continues to mend the scars on my heart, on a daily basis, so that I may strive toward the life God longs for me to live. Some of those wounds run very deep, requiring patience and fortitude.

How grateful I am that God binds my emotional scarring and baggage! No more gaping wounds, just forgiveness and healing.  Lord, let me always remember that you suture my heart and mind for your purposes, and my good!

Copyright Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Colorado Springs, CO