Key Scripture:

Ecclesiastes 3:3a – “a time to kill, and a time to heal;”

Devotional:

Around eight years old I remember lying in my bed one evening, the door cracked so I could catch a glimpse of our tiny color TV casting light on the brown shag carpeting and my parents resting on the couch together. I frequently used this “trick” to watch pieces of grown-up television and learn more about primetime shows, scary movies, and news events.

One night, the news was referring to the likelihood of world wars, and as I lay in bed listening to adults describe killing and death at a worldwide level, I sauntered out into that living room in tears. I was confused. I was gut-punched. I did not understand. “Is this our world?” I asked. Thinking, “How do I line up my world of baseball games, butterflies, and BMX bikes with the scariness of this?” That newscast let me know that this type of sadness might be part of my future and that what I expected from life may not be what I will experience. I grew up quite a bit that day.

As life moved forward, I experienced all the things: great things, terrible things, happy things, sad things, personal things and global things. It’s part of life, right? This is the experience. We are mortal. Creation and destruction happen daily. We are consistently reminded that these things are inevitable, not avoidable. They are part of being fully human (Hebrews 9:27). This is the FULL experience, not the numbed version of life streamed into our devices.

But God. God knows that on the backside of both physical and spiritual hard things are some of the deepest moments of life. When circumstances are hard, we tend to cry out. We want to understand. We want to improve. We want answers. We are willing to wrestle. We are willing to change. We are willing to sacrifice. We are willing to surrender. The good news is, when we return to the Lord, He answers every single time. He rebuilds and He heals us (Hosea 6:1). He can heal relationships. He can heal moments. He can heal words. He can heal ailments. He can heal death. In fact, He already beat it.

In marriage, death can come from a thousand cuts or from one irresponsibly placed word or action. However, healing can come just as quickly. “A time to kill, and a time to heal” is not necessarily a call for us but maybe a recognition of the rhythms of this world and a description of an abundant life. It includes all the realities of brokenness and all the beauty of reconciliation. It asks us to live fully, to recognize what it means to be fully human and to embrace our life within it. Laugh loudly, cry heavily, pray fervently, work diligently, sleep soundly, surrender daily and forgive quickly. God has got it covered. The price has already been paid. Hold hands. Your life is happening right now.

Deepening questions:

•  How much do the rhythms and realities of this world affect you? Do you find your emotions driven largely by circumstance or by scriptural truth? How might Romans 8:28 inform that?
• From a personal standpoint, what in your life and/or marriage today needs to be healed? Is it physical, relational, or spiritual? Begin praying for that specific healing.

Further reading:

Hebrews 9:23-28 | Hosea 6 | Romans 8:18-30