Keep That Follow-up Visit

“Come, and let us return unto the LORD: for he hath torn, and he will heal us; he hath smitten, and he will bind us up.” (Ho 6:1 AV)

The fact that the LORD chastens those whom He loves is undeniable.  The reality we don’t learn as well as we should often presses that chastening to a point of severe chastening.  That is why we see two levels of chastening mentioned above.  We have a tearing.  We also see a smiting.  Both leave marks.  Most are subtle and dissipate fully.  Some do not.  The stubbornness of our own hear forces the LORD to bring upon us circumstances of life that sting a bit.  For the most obstinate, those circumstances could mean a life time of hardship because we did not listen.  However, the LORD is not without mercy!  If He inflicts a bit of discomfort, He will also heal.  Even though we do not deserve it, He still makes things whole again.  But He will not do it from afar.  We must return.  We must go to the hand that corrected for some desperately needed healing.  If we do not, we are asking for a festering wound.

I have seen many cases where God turned a life around after a hardship of sin caused circumstances.  I have seen single parents who eventually find the one whom God intended all along and as long as they all walk in humility before the LORD and one another, the LORD gives them a beautiful family.  I have seen addicts riddled with the scars of their addiction written plainly on their faces used of God to change the lives of others.  I have seen believers who ran from God and who now bare the marks of that running, but who are faithful in their service to the LORD.  God has turned their lives around and that are a testimony of God’s grace.  I have seen teenagers rebel against the LORD going their own way only to see the LORD turn them completely around, restoring them to full fellowship.  The key is returning.  We have to return to the only one who can and will heal.  We have to return to the only one who can stop the bleeding.

Think of a surgeon.  There is a disease which needs his knife.  We are not aware of the pain because we are under anesthesia.  If there was no healing which followed, one would think the good doctor was evil.  If all he did was to open the body and remove the alien body, it would be cruel.  There must be repair work.  There must be a closing.  There must be dressings and bandages.  There must be therapy.  God is not cruel to send that which we need to get better.  Unfortunately, we are not under anesthesia.  We feel it all.  Going under the knife and then leaving half-way through the surgery would be completely foolish.  Like my shoulder surgery of a few year back, if I did not faithfully and fully submit to therapy, the surgery would have accomplished nothing.  We must return to the healer who caused the initial infliction to begin with.  Otherwise, we have learned nothing and the discomfort will only grow worse.  We need that follow-up visit.  We need it regularly.  Otherwise, the scars will fester and the disease will eventually kill us.