WEDNESDAY'S WORD - WOUNDED - Sadell Bradley - 04/10/2024

WEDNESDAY'S WORD WOUNDED 4/10/2024 "If your body is damaged, wounded, it can be fixed, but if inside, mentally you are wounded, you cannot fix it, it's hard." – Haile Gebrselassie - Ethiopian Athlete

WORSHIP WITH US THIS SUNDAY! 9AM Bible Study, 10AM Worship

Come, you disconsolate, where'er you languish; come to the mercy seat, fervently kneel. Here bring your wounded hearts, here tell your anguish; earth has no sorrows that Heaven cannot heal.  —Thomas Moore, Hymn Writer Disconsolate is not a word we generally use. It means without consolation or comfort; unhappy; or cheerless. It's not today's word, but it is the feeling that comes after you are wounded. A WOUND is an injury to living tissue caused by a cut, blow, or other impact. Figuratively, a WOUND is an injury to a person's feelings or reputation. Have you ever been wounded? A wound is different than a scab or a scar. A scab is the dry, rough, protective crust that forms over a wound as it is healing. A scar is the mark left after a wound has healed. It reminds you of what occurred. The pain is gone, even if the memory is not. I have a small scar on my face that happened in a physical fight in my youth. It reminds me not to do that again, LOL! After Jesus rose from the dead, He appeared to His disciples and allowed them to see His crucifixion wounds firsthand. Thomas, one of the disciples said,  “I won’t believe it unless I see the nail wounds in his hands, put my fingers into them, and place my hand into the wound in his side.” (John 20:25b, NLT) Isn't it amazing that Jesus was willing to show His followers His wounds so that they would believe in Him? What a mark of true love and leadership. He did not pretend that He wasn't hurt. I wonder what spiritual, mental, and emotional healing might occur if we were willing to show others our wounds, and trust God to heal us. The psalmist says of the LORD, "He heals the brokenhearted And binds up their wounds [healing their pain and comforting their sorrow]." (Psalm 147:3, AMP) Isaiah prophesied about the wounds the coming Messiah would endure for our sakes in Isaiah 53:4-6, NKJV: 4Surely He has borne our griefs And carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed Him stricken, Smitten by God, and afflicted. 5But 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. 6All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. Job endured more than most people ever could. His friends and family were not much help. One friend, Eliphaz though in error about why Job was experiencing his trials, made a true statement about the LORD—especially when we're under His training and discipline for our sins,"For though he wounds, he also bandages. He strikes, but his hands also heal." (Job 5:18) God heals our hearts, even when we're living with the consequences of our own missteps. Jesus endured and carried the pain of our wounds. Healing is available to you and to me.