
But what if, instead of sterile gauze, they packed the wound with dirty paper towels from the trash can? And what if instead of iodine or alcohol, they cleansed the wound with old motor oil? It sounds ridiculous but isn’t that what we do sometimes? We fill our wounds with things that we shouldn’t. And not only do we fill them with things that inhibit healing, we use things that actually promote further damage.
We all have wounds. Some may be superficial and will heal quickly and some may be so deep that even if they heal, there will always be a scar there to remind us of them. Your wound may not be physical but that doesn’t make it any less dangerous. Emotional wounds can be infinitely more painful and detrimental to our lives than physical ones ever can. Childhood abuse, parents that were physically or emotionally absent, cheating spouses, rebellious children, death of a loved one, guilt over your own mistakes…wounds like these can cripple us and keep us “sick” for a long time if we let them.
If you have wounds that just won’t seem to heal, the first thing you need to ask yourself is what am I packing them with? Are you filling your mind with positive and encouraging messages or are you packing your wound with TV, movies, and Facebook all day so you don’t even have to face them? Do you pack them with a strong faith in God or do you use ice cream and French fries? When you feel the pain of your wound, do you numb it with prayer or do you console yourself with drugs or alcohol? Maybe for you, it’s shopping, sports, or working too much, but all of these things, while not bad in and of themselves, are very ineffective healing agents. Usually they just cause deeper problems.
God knew we would need help with these things. He knew that sometimes we try to make things better bur really just end up making everything worse. So He sent us Jesus, who would come to earth and suffer with wounds of his own. He would be able to sympathize with us and then He would bind our wounds and make us better.
“He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.” 1 Peter 2:24
“He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.” Psalm 147:3
If you are in need of healing for physical wounds, you should definitely go see a doctor. But if your wounds are emotional or spiritual, your best bet is to always start with The Great Physician.