Our Bruises and Wounds

He is despised and rejected by men, A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him. Surely He has borne our griefs And carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed Him stricken, Smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed.
Isaiah 53:3-5 (NKJV)

We have bruises and wounds from the various experiences of our lives.

Many of us find ourselves asking “Why did God allow this to happen?”

We can become caught in a trap that will entangle us and drag us under the murky waters of grief if we do not address our why’s and our other questions to God for answers. At times, I believe this is the hardest part of grief.

The sudden death of our child leaves us knocked down, in a state of unimaginable shock, waiting for the smoke to clear so we can see what is left of our lives.

I have found that there is a certain element of mystery to the Bible as God gives revelation and also withholds it for our good. We can’t just claim any promise in the Bible and believe it by faith without applying the universal principal that is attached to it.

When we pray the end of Isaiah 53: 5 over ourselves or someone else believing God for the healing of injury, disability or illness – we must view it in context. Jesus’ sacrifice did three things:

1.) Paid the blood atonement for our sins – bringing us Spiritual healing and renewal

2.) His bruises paid the price for our inner – the emotional and mental wounds and ailments we suffer in our lives. The bruises may come through traumas we’ve experienced in relation to others or even traumas we inflict upon ourselves. Our iniquities are the natural bent toward sin that we all have – His bruises from the beating and the shoving He endured covered all of that. Does that mean we will never have hurts or traumas in our emotional and mental lives? Will our souls never be traumatized again? No. It means that this is one way redemption brings healing to us.

3.) He was wounded – physically pierced and his flesh was broken for our willful transgressions. He paid the price for our physical wounds and the physical consequences of the sins we commit in our lives. We don’t have to suffer condemnation because the debt is paid in full. This is how we are healed by His stripes. Yet it often leaves us begging the question “If your Word promises healing, then why didn’t You heal my child, God?”

My honest answer to this question: “I don’t know.”

As humans our limitations and finite thinking often keep us from big picture viewing. I’ve only been able to realize this since my son died: We must claim healing in the context of God’s will, His plan and His greater purpose. Just as He withheld nothing to deliver to us the power and purpose of His redemption – giving His only, precious Son to suffer in our place – we must willingly submit our prayers and our loved ones to His will accepting that His goal in healing is ultimately the revelation of His goodness toward us and His glory to all the earth.

In my own suffering, God’s choosing not to change the circumstance and allowing my son to die has left me with three primary revelations:

1.) Living for the will of God is the only thing worth doing well in this life

2.) His grace is truly is sufficient, and made perfect in my weakness

3.) His glory is worth the price we have to pay to know Him more.

If we ignore our wounds and bruises and refuse to submit them to the will of God His glory will not be revealed in our suffering. Please know that even if you are hurting in the most unimaginable way, our God knows of that which you suffer – He bore it on the cross for us. Cry out to Him, Submit to Him and Watch Him be glorious in your life in spite of all you have lost.

Our God is our refuge. When calamity comes into our lives running to God is the only safe place to turn. His word says that He will not break the bruised… He is all sufficient for our sufferings and bore them Himself that we might know His strength and power to overcome. Healing will come, He paid the price for all.

“When calamity comes, the wicked are brought down, but even in death the righteous have a refuge.” ~ Proverbs 14:32 (NIV)