Healing What Was Broken

I grew up as the accident-prone child in our family. Even though I had two older brothers, I still was the one who had the most hospital visits, broken bones, and stitches. While I do not remember every detail of these incidents, I do remember one aspect that was the same in them all – the care of my parents. As soon as an injury happened, they would run to my side to see what was going on, assess the situation, and respond rightly. They took an effort to bind up my wounds as best as they could or until medical attention was needed. What I did not know then, that I do know now, is that they were just clearly modeling Christ in those instances.  

The Ultimate Healer

In Psalm 147:3 and Isaiah 61:1, we find prophecies of the One who would “heal the brokenhearted and bind up their wounds.” Jesus Christ came to earth in human form to fulfill these prophecies and more. We read throughout the gospels that these characteristics mark who Jesus is and what He is about. 

While we, in the present day, can not physically see Jesus healing and binding up the wounded, we experience it in our hearts through the gift of the Holy Spirit. That in itself should lead us to sing praises to our God because He is worthy (Psalm 147:1)! 

Continuous Healing

What is incredible about Psalm 147:3, is that it is in an active present tense. We are not  waiting for the day when Jesus will heal and bind up, but He is doing it now. Simeon had complete faith that this Rescuer would come because of promises he read in the Old Testament. This, along with the help of the Holy Spirit, allowed him to immediately recognize the Messiah when he saw Jesus in the temple. Simeon was confident that this prophecy was being fulfilled in the midst of the brokenness all around him in Israel. 

So as it was with Simeon’s faith, we can also have the same assurance that Christ has come and is continuing to heal and bind up the wounded and brokenhearted. Because Christ has come and through His finished work on the cross, we can rest that the hurt of our brokenheartedness and our deepest wounds are met in the grace of Christ. 

What a gift it is to walk in confidence that the Lord is playing an active role in our everyday lives. We can so easily be focused on the brokenness and hurt around us, but it’s in this promise that we can rest in the character of God even when it might be difficult.  

The Final Healing

Not only do we rejoice that the Lord is continually showing this to us now, but we long for the day when we see this promise fulfilled in completion with the return of Christ. Advent is a time  when we put ourselves in the anticipation and celebration of the birth of Christ, but we also sit in the same feelings daily as we await the second advent, Jesus’ return. We long for the day when there will be no more broken hearts and wounds, but we wait with full assurance that it will come and will be a day of perfect fulfillment for those in Christ Jesus.