Daily Reading: Colossians 2:6–15
And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross. (Col. 2:15)
She was a young, vivacious woman, but we watched as she was quickly robbed of energy and the ability to control any movement of her body. She was rushed to the hospital where Guillain–Barré Syndrome was the diagnosis. Within hours she was kept alive only by a respirator and doctors were tentative about her recovery. Prayer kept her alive and gradually grace began its work of healing. It took weeks before she could learn to feed herself and walk again. Several years later I saw her and she told me her doctor had recently suggested that she have plastic surgery to remove the scar on her neck from the tracheotomy that was the only remaining indication of those dark days. She told him, “I don’t want the scar removed. Every morning when I look in the mirror it is a reminder of how good God is.” Another tragedy turned into a triumph.
Among the marvelous benefits of atonement is healing for our hurts. “By his wounds we are healed” (Isa. 53:5). God can take the sting out of our scars. Within every tragedy is an opportunity for God to demonstrate His ability to do more than we could ask or think. The cross stands as a testimony that He can turn tragedies into triumphs. God robbed the cross of its evil power and turned it into a place of redemption and healing.
Look at a scar you carry, whether external or internal, and ask God to turn it into a reminder of His faithfulness and goodness.
Ken Heer is the author of Ancient Fire (WPH) and has been a pastor and church leader for fifty-two years.
