Peace Where There is No Peace

I remember two particular times in the past when, in a church situation, I began to weep as the Holy Spirit touched painful places in my heart. In both those situations, someone who prayed for me prayed, “Lord, bring your peace”.

Perhaps because I didn’t want to cause any inconvenience or embarrassment, I suppressed my pain and became quiet. In both those situations the two Christians who prayed for me may have felt that their prayer was answered and I now had peace in my heart, but actually I was still in pain.

I remembered those two incidents today as I thought about the text above from Jeremiah. It was a revelation to me that the only person who can truly speak and bring peace into the wounded places of our lives where there is no peace, is Jesus. At their best, mere human efforts to do that can only dress those wounds, and not heal them.

Dressings protect physical wounds for the time they need to heal, but the same doesn’t happen with deep spiritual and emotional wounds. The Bible tells us in Isaiah 53:5 that it is by Jesus’ wounds that we are healed, and that the punishment He bore in our place on the cross brings us peace. Can I encourage you today to bring the wounded places of your life to Jesus. Your tears won’t embarrass Him and He won’t try to stem them. He will speak His true peace into your heart and bind up wounds that you’ve carried, even from the earliest times of your life.

Prayer: Lord Jesus. I bring to You today those wounds in my heart that I and others have tried to dress lightly. I forgive myself and them for trying to do that. Thank You that You carried all my sin and pain on the cross. I open my heart to receive Your true peace and healing in my life. Amen.