“But I will restore you to health and heal your wounds,’ declares the Lord, ‘because you are called an outcast, Zion for whom no one cares.’”
(Jeremiah 30:17 NIV)
This particular Scripture has come up a lot lately. I know it’s a Word from the Saviour. It’s especially fitting during a time when many around us are hurting – mentally, emotionally, spiritually and physically. Godly people who are wondering why they’re suffering through no fault of their own. People who haven’t warranted the mistreatment and sorrow they’ve endured. “But I will restore you to health and heal your wounds,’ declares the Lord, ‘because you are called an outcast, Zion for whom no one cares,’” comes the promise from the Lord our Healer (Exodus 15:26).
And as I ponder on the suffering of those around me and in the world, I can’t help but wonder the purposes of God. Then He reminds me of the words from the chapter He led me to write in Rise Again, “But First Comes Death.” We’re not exempt from pain and suffering even after we choose to follow Jesus. It is He who reminds us that in this world, we will have trouble (John 16:33). Suffering and death were part of the divine plan for Jesus, but so was the resurrection. Sometimes we will die metaphorically, but God will come and demonstrate the power of His resurrection in us and through us! He will restore our health and heal our wounds. In today’s verse, Israel was “called an outcast…for whom no one cares.” People single you out to hurt you, but God singles you out to bless you! When people reject you, God accepts you.
Rising with the Son 