Suturing, Soothing, and Strength: Experiencing God’s Truths for Our Lives

I could not help but read the words and exclaim, “This!” These words are what I have been longing to hear, to remember. They are the sutures my soul wounds needed. Simple, yet God-breathed words full of peace from my Savior: “I have called you by name; you are mine.”

The Suturing

I love how scripture can come alive bouncing from the page and into our souls. As I read Isaiah 43:1, I experienced that. Earlier this week I mentioned my soul wounds pulsing. When I read this verse, I felt an overwhelming peace cover my soul. Although I have read Isaiah many times, today this verse hit differently.

Isaiah 43:1 proclaims, “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you. I have called you by name; you are mine.” The portion in italics is the part that poured over me like a soothing balm. While I know the truth of this verse in my logical, rational brain, my heart needed to experience this truth again. I am never too healed, never too grown to hear my Savior’s words “you are mine.” There is power beyond measure in knowing my name is engraved in the palm of his hands and I am forever his (Isaiah 49:16). This truth allowed my soul to settle in the soothing embrace of God’s love.

The Soothing

While God’s word never changes, my life does. How I received some of God’s truths and words when I was 20 is different than I how I receive them thirty years later. Life experiences, soul wounds, and even my own healing, God uses to show me the power of his message as he knows I need it today. This is true for us all.

We can rest knowing today, just as might have years ago, that God will never leave us nor forsake us (Deut. 31:8). When our soul wounds pulse or when we experience the pain of life, it is not because God has abandoned us. God is near to the broken hearted and he binds our wounds (Psalm 147:3). He hears our cries (Psalm 34:17) and bottles our tears (Psalm 56:8). He is with us in our darkest hours (Psalm 23:4).  We do not merely see this happening before us, but we experience this in the deepest crevices of our being!

As I type this, a thought has entered: we are to hide God’s word in our hearts that we might not sin against him (Psalm 119:11). However, maybe we need also to hide his word in our heart so that we might not forget his love amid our hurt? It is easy for our soul wounds to consume us resulting in us believing God is not near, and he is the cause of our suffering. What a great tool of the enemy to use our pain to drive a wedge between us and our Savior! But that does not have to be the end of the story.

The Strength

       When we are at our lowest, when all we can see is the valley, the darkness of the pit, we often feel frail and hopeless. And, in our own strength, we very well may be. However, if we will shift our focus to the mountain top, to the opening of the pit, we will see that “God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble” (Psalm 46:1).

In Christ, we can have the strength we need to endure what is before us. This does not mean that we will not experience pain. This means that we have someone fighting for us (Exodus 14:14), and we can find rest for our very wear souls (Matthew 11:28). We can still cling to Christ because we have hope and courage during our hardest times knowing God goes before us making a way when there seems to be no other way (Deut. 31:8; Isaiah 43:18).

Jesus tells us, “In this world you will have trouble” (John 16:33a). There is no escaping the consequences of living in a fallen world. However, Jesus’ statement does not end there. He promises and proclaims to us, “But I have overcome the world” (John 16:33b). Our pain is real and raw, and God is with us in the real and rawness while also overcoming it.

Final Thoughts

I am trying to figure out how to let God’s word be my first response rather than my last response to my soul wounds. That will be a life-time of work. However, I believe for us all, that a first step could be practicing hiding God’s word in our hearts not only for the sake of not sinning against him, but also to experience God’s love and peace amidst our hurt. In doing so, I believe we can know the truth that will set us free (John 8:32) and experience the “Lord who is full of compassion and mercy” (James 5:11