“But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.” (Isaiah 53:5 NIV)
I meet wounded people almost every day; people wounded by friends, by family, or by circumstances. Some of these wounds are fresh, such as the person who hears his parents are getting a divorce, or the person whose brother just died. Other wounds have existed a long time and remain open, like the person who still deals with the effects from a traumatic event in his childhood or a person who remains bitter over a relationship that ended years ago.
Wounds that don’t heal end up getting infected, and if the infection goes untreated, it will eventually affect our whole body. But treatment of infections that are out of control is not usually painless. I once knew a man who battled diabetes and was hospitalized several times with gangrene in his feet. Each time the doctors would have to open incisions around the infected area and clean it out. Eventually, he had much of both feet amputated.
Many of us have wounds that may be fresh or have remained open for many years. We are in need of healing. And indeed we can be—by the wounds of Another. By His death, Jesus made it possible for us to enter into a relationship with our God who is the Healer of wounds. Yet our healing is not automatic. The Great Physician does not force Himself upon us; He will not begin His work until we are ready. And that is why many followers of Jesus are still among the walking wounded. They are just not ready to allow Him to begin His healing work because it often involves pain—pain of acknowledging hurt, weakness, and perhaps anger and bitterness and a cure that may involve forgiveness.
Like people who hate to admit they are sick or ignore symptoms out of fear of what might happen if they go to the doctor, often we fear the pain we might experience in the process of being healed by the Lord. So we avoid letting Him near that area of our lives, and we pay the price. The untreated wound festers and begins to affect our whole life, though we may pretend otherwise.
Today recognize the Lord, as a result of His wounds, is ready and willing to heal any wounds you may have, but you have to allow Him to do so. While the healing might be painful, it will not be nearly as painful as allowing the wound to affect your whole life.
© Jim Musser 2015
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