Healing Our Wounds: Devotion for November 9

Look closely at this painting of the Good Samaritan, our text for this past Sunday. In the background, the priest and the Levite are walking away, having passed by the injured man along the road. In the foreground, the Samaritan is helping the wounded traveler onto his donkey. But what catches my attention is the injured man's face. As he looks over his shoulder, he seems to be looking directly at us.

Perhaps he is inviting us to see ourselves in the story. And so we ask, "Who am I in this story?"

I would like to think I am the Good Samaritan, the one who stops to help. But if I am honest, there have been plenty of times when I have been more like the priest or the Levite, too busy or too distracted to notice someone in need.

And sometimes, I am the wounded traveler. Life has a way of leaving us wounded. Disappointment, grief, broken relationships, uncertainty, and the struggles of everyday life can take their toll. Sometimes those wounds are visible. More often, they are not.

One of my favorite book series is Sensible Shoes by Sharon Garlough Brown. In it, a character named Hannah has experienced her share of life's wounds. At one point, she offers this prayer:

"I know that if I don't keep the wound clean by naming it to you, it will become a nesting place for bitterness and self-pity and resentment and disappointment. I don't want my wound to become infected. Maybe there's healing just in being honest. This is where I am, Lord. Please meet me here."

I love that prayer because it reminds us that healing often begins with honesty. We don't have to pretend everything is fine. We don't have to hide our hurt or have all the answers. We can simply come before God and say, "This is where I am, Lord. Please meet me here."

And the good news is that God does just that.

Perhaps today you identify more with the wounded traveler than with the Good Samaritan. If so, my prayer is that you will find the courage to name your wounds before God and trust that you will be met with compassion, mercy, and love.

After all, we worship a Savior who knows what it means to be wounded. And by his wounds, we are healed.

Peace,

Pr. Laurie Neill

Featured art: Domenico Fetti, The Good Samaritan, circa 1613 (workshop copy).

"By his wounds we are healed." — Isaiah 53:5