6-13-2019

Good Morning All,

Malachi 4:2; ““The Sun of Righteousness will rise with healing in his wings for you people who fear my name. You will go out and leap like calves let out of a stall.”

     When I was a kid, I used to watch the doctor shows on TV.  I used to like Dr. Kildare and Dr. Ben Casey.  They could always fix everything in under an hour.  That is the way to be a doctor.  Walk into a room, look at the patient and know in an instant that they have contracted some rare disease that only 15 people in the world have.  So, the fantasy of the show was a little over the top but it was nice to see good triumph.

    I guess we like to watch these type of shows because reality can be a lot less clear cut.  One of the speakers at a past National Youth Gathering was a young lady named Jessica Stevens.  She was bitten by a tick and developed Lyme’s disease.  Then it got real ugly. She developed a very rare condition.  It's called Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy" or RSD for short.  The condition causes your nerves to malfunction constantly sending pain signals to the brain which responds by releasing powerful chemicals that burn unbearably painful sores into the skin.  Any type of stimulus, sight, sound, touch, anything would cause her to feel excruciating pain.  The chemicals which her body released caused huge open ulcer sores all over her body.  She was like this for two years.  At that point, she wanted to die.  Yet her mother refused to give in and told her that God would decide that and that they needed to trust God.

    Eventually, she received a radical form of treatment, she was placed into a coma for a week to “re-boot” her brain.  This happened twice and the second time it has seemed to take hold.  She is now in her 30’s and was 18 when it started.  She credits God with guiding her doctors and keeping her safe.

    Most of us will never face what this young lady faced but we will face our own challenges.  There will be times when it will seem almost as painful as what she faced and we will be hurt and lost; maybe feeling like we want to die.  Our hearts will be broken by the pain of sin and all the world dumps on us.  Families in turmoil, jobs disappearing, health failing, or any of a number of events occurring can cause us to be brokenhearted.  God comes to us through his Word and Sacrament to bring us forgiveness and to heal us.  He fixes our broken souls and retrieves us from the desolation that sin leaves us in.  God, through Jesus, heals us and brings us back to him.  It is through his atoning sacrifice that we find the healing balm to cure our wounds.  In this healing, we are made whole; righteous before God.  God is the healer of the brokenhearted; even yours.

Dearest Father, we are brokenhearted and in pain so often.  You heal us with your tender love and mercy.  By your grace, you sustain and renew us.   Give us the courage to trust in you and your amazing love.  Be with those whose hearts are broken and whose souls are lost.  Guide and protect your children with your loving kindness.  In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret