Healed

READ: PSALM 103:1-5; REVELATION 21:1-6

When was the last time you had a cold? Maybe you have one right now. They can be so annoying, but the process of healing from a cold can point us to an amazing truth about Jesus. Even though sickness invaded God’s good world when humans chose sin, God created us in a wonderful way so that when our bodies get hurt or sick, we’re usually able to heal and fight off germs and infections. Our ability to heal is such evidence of God’s loving care for us in our very own bodies, and it can also point us to the day Jesus will return, raise us from the dead, and permanently heal us of every hurt and sickness.

But, as we wait for that day, sometimes our bodies can get really sick and not be able to get better on their own. In those cases, God might use doctors or medicine or even a miracle to heal us. But even if He chooses not to heal us right away, we can still trust Him, remembering that Jesus is fully God and fully human, and He truly empathizes with us in our suffering.

Isaiah calls Jesus, “a man of suffering who knew what sickness was…he himself bore our sicknesses, and he carried our pains…he was pierced because of our rebellion, crushed because of our iniquities; punishment for our peace was on him, and we are healed by his wounds” (Isaiah 53:3-5). Jesus willingly entered into all the pains and sorrows of human life, and He went to the cross to take the punishment all our sins deserved. Because He was whipped and beaten, because His flesh was torn and bruised, because He died on that cross for us…we can be forgiven and made whole. So, even when our bodies are slow to heal, we can cling to Jesus’s promises to be with us in every moment, and to restore all of creation, including our bodies.

As we experience the sicknesses and injuries that will inevitably come, we can thank God for giving us wonderful bodies that can heal. We can thank Him for the doctors and medicine He often uses to help us, remembering that God alone has the power to heal. And, once we know Jesus as our Savior, we can thank Him for healing us from the disease of sin, and we can rest in His promises to be with us and to fully heal our bodies one day too. • A. W. Smith

• How can the experience of healing from an illness or an injury point us to the ultimate restoration Jesus will bring when He returns? While some sicknesses and injuries may never fully go away until Jesus returns, we can bring our pain and frustration and anger and sorrow to Him in prayer anytime. We can be honest with Him and ask for healing, and we can also find rest in His comfort and strength, even in the midst of our pain.

My soul, bless the LORD…he heals all your diseases. Psalm 103:2-3 (CSB)