Time and Truth

My ten year old son held out his hand. A trace of blood mixed with lake water ran down the side of his palm.

“Mom, I scratched my hand on a stick, under water and it really hurts.”

I applied pressure with my thumb, and we stood in the sun with the water lapping at our knees. Within minutes, I released my thumb and the bleeding had stopped.

“Should I put a band-aid on it? Maybe it would help to keep it from bleeding” he asked.

“Sure, I think you could do that. Band-aids help protect the surface" I answered.

“But they don’t really help with the healing, do they Mom? Only God can make a wound heal.”

I've replayed this picture over and over again in my mind over the past day. His sweet, dear face looking up at me, offering me his hand, trusting me, and perhaps most of all, his speaking profound words of truth. “Only God can make a wound heal.”

Psalm 147:3 says “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.”

Healing a broken heart, a wounded soul, a crushed spirit, how does God do such intricate work? I am certain that I will never totally understand the mystery behind the healing touch of God, but I am also as certain that it is possible. There are no formulas, quick fixes or self-help tactics, of course. Each one of our circumstances is different and only God holds the special balm for each wound, and He is the only One who can apply it.

I do believe, however, that God uses time and truth as part of His healing remedy. He combines the amount of time that He knows is needed with His truths. God uses His truth to expose the truth in our own hearts, whether it be our own sin or the value of our worth, as well as the truth of our circumstances. He is faithful to show us truth if we seek Him, and then it is our choice to believe the truth.

Oh, how I wish that a simple solution, like a band-aid would work, but it does not. It may protect some, and God does certainly use things in our lives to provide comfort and protection. But healing? Only He has control over time and truth. Only He knows the right amount of both, and only He can dispense it. Dear reader, reach out and hand God your heart today and trust Him to heal it. He is faithful.