This is the season of new hope, the promise of new beginnings and new life. God has graced us, even in this fallen world, with holy glimpses of Eden. The earth offers a visual sermon every day for those with eyes to see. Each glimpse of beauty brings the call of our Beloved, “For behold, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone. The flowers have already appeared in the land; the time has arrived for pruning the vines, And the voice of the turtledove has been heard in our land. The fig tree has ripened its figs, and the vines in blossom have given forth their fragrance. Arise, my darling, my beautiful one, and come along!” Song of Solomon 2: 11-13
Did you think these words were only intended for those who are in the springtime of romantic love? No, these are the words of our heavenly Bridegroom and He is calling to His bride, the church. We are created for intimacy with our Maker. The intimacy between a husband and wife is a picture that is to point us to the lover of our souls. Nothing else is meant to satisfy the longing in our souls for union with Him in the most intimate way possible. Chris Tiegreen writes, “Is your relationship with God like a lover’s union? If it is not, it falls short of the divine romance for which we were created. If it is, then you know the importance of commitment and the dangerous power of other lusts. Flee from them!” God is a jealous lover and He wants to be our first love.
If these words seem strange and even impossible for you, stop and call out to the only one who can satisfy your craving for intimacy and love. Meditate on His love until you can hear the Bridegroom say, “Arise, my darling, my beautiful one, and come along!”
Recently, the Lord led me to a sermon by Dr. Glen Knecht (currently Senior Pastor position at CREC; former Pastoral Care pastor at 4th Pres; previously Senior Pastor at First Presbyterian), which speaks to some of these issues. May these words encourage you as they have me.
THE HEALING OF OUR WOUNDEDNESS
There are many passages of Scripture that speak of the romance between God and the soul. At the heart of the Bible is the Mount Everest of all these passages: Isaiah 53:5. “But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, And by His scourging we are healed.” Here the prophet is saying that our peace comes from God. In Hebrew, “peace” means salvation, blessing and happiness.
Our healing comes from Him. Matthew, by the Spirit, related these words to Jesus as acts of healing. (Matthew 8:17). Perhaps that is the inner longing of our hearts-the shalom of the heart-the love affair of the heart with God and it comes from our Beloved Savior.
From this passage we can see that God longs to heal us. The important word here is “He”. In the Hebrew it is emphatic, saying that the initiative for the healing comes from God. Because of His great love for us, God is the great suitor who pursues His beloved-who longs to take His bride to Himself. This is the great story of the Bible. “Since you are precious in My sight, you have been honored, and I love you…” (Isaiah 43:4) This is the sacred theme of the Bible, what Brent Curtis calls “the sacred romance”-the love of God for His people.
And while everyone whom He has made is significant in His drama of life, those on whom He has set His love are the key players in His story. The story is all about His wooing them to be His own. The Bible is really the story of His love for His people.
God’s longing for His own overcomes all obstacles. The adversary would block this wooing. He is the father of lies and would destroy what God loves and he would seek to thwart the love affair and cause us who are the pursued to think that God is indifferent or not there at all. Yet God keeps up the pursuit. Even when we believe Satan’s lies and therefore are deceived and make wretched choices, still the Hound of Heaven pursues us to convey His love and His delight in us-to bind up our hurts and to bring “shalom” to us as a lover tries to do with His beloved.
See in this passage what lengths He will go to in wooing us. From head to toe, He is all wounds and blood. He is bruised, crushed, under the weight of the great burden put upon Him. Starting with the crown of His head there are thorns, and there are the wounds of His hands, the side and the feet. There are the stripes from scourging. He is one mass of suffering and the only thing that covers His nakedness is His blood, a thin red cloak of modesty.
“None of the ransomed ever knew how deep were the waters crossed or how dark was the night the Lord passed through when He found the sheep that was lost.” (hymn by Sankey)
These wounds are the fountain of our healing.
“Five bleeding wounds He bears. Received on Calvary, They pour effectual prayers, They strongly plead for me. Forgive him, oh, forgive, they cry, Let not the ransomed sinner die!” (Charles Wesley)
How much we need healing! For we have been wounded by the arrows of our enemy. Stinging words, careless words, events misinterpreted, have lodged in our souls and in our consciences and have caused us to turn away from the love affair of the heart with God. They have crippled us so we can’t dance the wedding song with our beloved Groom.
Our Divine Suitor is saying to us, Come away with Me, you are wonderful, come rejoice with Me.” And our wounds say, “I am not worthy, I am inadequate, I am dirty, I don’t matter.” The wounds within can shape the story line of our lives, rather than the wondrous love of God for us giving shape to our story.
Even our being born again does not necessarily change the woundedness within. Our spirits are regenerated by the work of the Holy Spirit, but our minds and our consciences still contain the wounds.
The most defining wounds are often given in childhood. They may fester for years, until they are jolted into pain again by the appearance of something that is somewhat similar to the event. The mind and the conscience need to be renewed-to be healed of the ungodly wounds spoken by parents or peers or the adversary himself. Ultimately they are Satan’s work, for he can speak through others or even cause us to wound ourselves. A wounded conscience may say to you, “it’s your fault, don’t venture out, you can’t succeed; you will not amount to anything; you are not loved or valued.”
And so the heart feels lost, even if the outward life is active and serving and learning - lost because the wounds have kept the heart from the love of God and because the wounds themselves have shaped the story line of the life. But this is not the story line that we were created for. We craft certain roles for ourselves in the drama of life, as “victim” or “rescuer,” or “perpetual child,” or “inferior one.” Often we play according to the script of the wounds rather than the script of God.
The arrows are not the final word. God has a loving plan for us. Think about the healing that Jesus gives.
“He was wounded for our transgressions…” (Isaiah 53:5) The lies give birth to sin, and sin must be dealt with if we are to have a love affair with God. Christ’s wounds, his blood, provide the payment, the atonement for our sins.
“By His stripes, we are healed.” The long bloody welts on His back and chest are for our healing. He knows the pain of wounds and He wants to bring healing to the deepest places of soreness in the soul. He can enter the conscience where the arrows of sharp words or ugly events have struck and touch them with His healing power. The memory will still be there, but He heals the wound contained there and it can no longer fuel the emotions and affect the present situation with the past anger or fear. When the past is healed, the present is redeemed. And by His suffering love, He can bring us back to the true story line. He is the shepherd who goes out of His way, and even suffers in order to bring the erring sheep home again. He goes to the cross to feel our pain and to show the depths of His great love for us.
In His light, we see that our lives do make sense, good and bad. They do fit together. They play a part in God’s drama. God’s glory and our wellbeing are both part of the same script.
Dr. Knecht adds this postscript:
To young people: You have already received some arrows and they are affecting your journey, your goals, your willingness to marry, and the level of your commitment to Christ. Bring your wounds to your wounded Healer. Ask Him to shed His light on your pain.
To older people: You may have deadened the pain of your wounds, and silenced the longing of your heart for something close with God. Your religious life is chiefly external now with no inner romance. Ask God if there are inner wounds in you that need to be healed by Christ’s power, so that you can enter into the joy of an abundant life with God once more.
