Destruction Prevents Healing

Destruction Prevents Healing

There is no healing for your wound; your injury is fatal. All who hear of your destruction will clap their hands for joy. Where can anyone be found who has not suffered from your continual cruelty? Nahum 3:19

For those who turn away from God, there is no healing for their wounds. Unfortunately, that was the case with a man named Ryder. Historically, there hasn’t been a lot of violent crime in our neck of the woods, but with the growth of Nashville, urban sprawl nudged more criminals our way who were looking for small-town hideouts. For years, stories had circulated in our rural community about the terrible things Ryder had done in the past. But one sleepy night, the rumors proved to be true, and our town was the setting for a drug deal gone bad.

The details were never entirely clear. Either Ryder or his buyer got angry. Shots were fired. The buyer ended up on the floor, and Ryder fled the scene.

The local police caught up to him a few minutes later, and a high-speed chase ensued. During the pursuit, Ryder failed to negotiate a curve on a two-lane country road. His car rolled down an embankment and hit a tree.

The shell of a man who was delivered to our emergency room that night was the product of years of poor choices, drug use, violence, and now murder. Though we did everything we could for him medically, in the end there was nothing we could do to save him. His sins had caught up with him once and for all.

When news of his sudden death became known, our town was overwhelmed—not with grief, but with relief. One benefit of living in the country is that we largely avoid the trouble that comes to other parts. Ryder’s remains were quietly transported back to where he’d come from, and no one seemed to notice he was gone. Today, when I think of wounds that will never be healed, I think of Ryder.

TODAY’S RX

Live your life so that your wounds will be healed and your neighbors will grieve when it’s your time to go.

Jesus, thank you for the promise of new life in you. May I always be grateful for your sacrifice on the cross. I know that it’s only through you that I am washed clean of my sin.