Healed by His Scars

"But 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." Isaiah 53:5

When I was 15 years old, I had to have surgery on my knee to repair a torn cartilage. It was painful and the recovery was long. For a few months I had to ‘sit on the sideline’ missing out on a ton of fun with my friends. Back then the scar that formed was thick and long with no way to hide it. I remember when I was in my early 30’s teaching Sunday School to 5-year old’s. Of course, back then if you were a woman you certainly wore a dress to church unlike today. I was sitting in a chair in a circle of children and a little girl raised her hand. When I called on her, she informed me that I had a run in my hose talking about my scar. I explained to her that the scar marked the place where I had hurt myself, but the doctor healed it.

I heard a song in church yesterday that made me think about the scars on my heart of past hurts. Some of them I brought on myself, while other scars were from wounds outside of my control. As the worship team performed this song, I sat there with tears streaming down my face. Had I received an easy life I would never have been dependent on God. I would neither have known His character, nor His heart. The scars in our hearts mark a spot where it was torn with suffering but healed with grace. The scars are songs that we might hear reminding us that God was faithful. One of my scars is triggered when I hear a parent scared to death because of their child being on drugs. I have a scar that appears when someone tells me their loved one just passed from cancer. I have a scar when I hear the pain in a woman’s voice explaining that she is withholding her secret spending from her husband. We all have scars.

Our scars will never run as deep as the scars on the hands and feet of Jesus. His scars adopted us…His scars invited us…His scars saved us. Our scars will produce testimonies if we are willing to be vulnerable and transparent. Our scars tell a story of heartbreak and grief followed by mercy and healing. They not only echo the painful experiences but they echo the way that God placed His hands upon our hurts and carried us through the suffering. Our scars echo God's love because scars are proof that something ruptured has healed. I pray that we will all allow our scars to be seen so that others can hear the stories of rescues and redemption. Close your eyes and listen to the beautiful words of Scars, by Essential Worship.