God Will Heal

“I will give you back your health and heal your wounds,” says the LORD. “For you are called an outcast—‘Jerusalem for whom no one cares.’”

Jeremiah 30:17

THE WORDS ABOVE were spoken to the Israelites as they languished as slaves in Babylon. After years of rebellion, Jerusalem had been destroyed, many Israelites had been killed, and the Temple had been sacked and plundered. The young Israelite men with the most potential were taken to an idol-worshiping nation, where the priests of that religion would try to indoctrinate them into adopting their religion. After so much suffering, the Israelites had little hope.

But God spoke his words of hope into this desolation through the prophet Jeremiah. Jeremiah had been reviled and hated for his prophecies against the sins of God’s people. But now the children of God sat up and took notice.

Too many leaders teach today that with God, it’s more like three strikes and you’re out. But the promise given in today’s verse is the truth. God calls us back to himself, even when we’ve messed up terribly, and promises to heal our wounds, bind up the “broken bones,” and bring us back to wholeness. That’s the great message of the Bible: it doesn’t matter how much of a mess you’ve made of your life. God still loves you and invites you to come back and start over.