“And the Lord blessed the latter days of Job more than his beginning.” Job 42:12
The surgeon’s scalpel cut quickly and cleanly. The flesh separated easily so the necessary surgery could commence. Days later looking in the mirror at the nasty mess that was now my mid-section, I thought the damage would never be repaired. How could this painful incision ever come close to the normal I had known before? I delved into a sort of self-denial, refusing to look at or even acknowledge the ugly place that had been forced upon me. But week after week, month after month, the pain resided, and the scar began to heal. It has been over a year now and when I look into the mirror, I see not the unsightly, painful wound, but only a thin slight scar. Yet it is in that scar that the story is told, the lessons were learned, and I became closer to God than I ever thought possible.
The book of Job concludes with no answers. I like my movies to end with a happy firm closure, but mostly life is just not that way. Job chapter 42 ends the book with Job humbled before God, admitting his fault in speaking of God in ways in which he did not understand, and then he prays for the redemption of the very men that condemned him for 8 chapters. God speaks with authority and wonder to Job, instilling in him the awe of who He is by simply describing the wonders of what He has made. Yet God never mentions chapters one and two to Job. As far as we know, Job went to his grave never fully knowing the depth of the exchange that took place in the throne room of heaven between God and satan. But one thing is true, God heals Job much more than just physically. Job rests in the very presence and righteousness of God and in that moment, the many scars of Job are left as nothing but deep lessons upon his flesh.
The fresh cuts and wounds of today may seem more than you can bear. They may seem so grim that it feels they will never heal and the normal you knew will never return. It may seem that the painful process of healing is meaningless, with no evident purpose behind the madness. But folks, within the healing is where the miracle of God occurs. You see, through the suffering of Job, God was able to not simply heal His body, but heal the spiritual wounds that unknowingly existed within his character. God desires to heal not just your body, but your soul. Today, I pray that you, just as Job, will embrace the healing hands of the Father. You may not get the answers you think you deserve as you glance at your wound, but God is nonetheless working His wonders. He is bringing about great changes in you through the process, changes you don’t even know you need. Today, call upon your great faith in your Savior, Jesus Christ, and know that God is working all things for your good. No matter what the mirror may speak to you about your incision, no matter how intense the suffering may seem, no matter what kind of mess your life may look like, God is bigger and can make a masterpiece out of your mess. Rest in faith, the healing of the scar is part of the miracle.
“He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.” Psalm 147:3
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