It’s Spring storm season in Oklahoma, and our Oklahoma Baptist Disaster Relief (DR) volunteers are already at work, trying to serve people in need—to bring “hope and help,” all in the Name of Jesus.
When disaster strikes, Oklahoma Baptist DR will be there for people. This calls to mind that Oklahoma Baptist DR has been there, through the decades, in countless disaster situations.
In a recent trip to New Orleans Seminary, I was reminded that when Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast and caused widespread damage and loss of life in 2005, Oklahoma Baptist DR was there.
At the same time, I was also stunned and saddened to hear about areas of the city that had never fully recovered from Katrina’s devastating effects, so significant was the damage and aftereffects.
Thinking about all this as an analogy for life: there are many individuals who have experienced such traumatic or difficult events in life that they have never fully healed. It could be any number of issues—medical, relational, personal, financial or spiritual. Some people have experienced a wound so severe it has never healed.
There’s a powerful scene in the Lord of the Rings book in which the hero, “Frodo Baggins,” is wounded (almost fatally) by evil creatures stabbing him in the shoulder with a sword. The wise sage of Tolkien’s work, “Gandalf the Wizard” then says, “That wound will never fully heal. He will carry it the rest of his life.”
Now, I’m no licensed counselor or pastor, but I have learned where we can turn in difficult times. Christians can and should look to Jesus for inspiration, healing and help. Jesus Himself was mistreated and reviled more than any person. And yet He said these words, “I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). In Jesus, we truly have a helper and One who can sympathize with our pains and wounds (Hebrews 4:15-16).
There are also many biblically-informed resources out there for people who are looking for healing. In a recent podcast episode with author and chaplain Nick Hamilton, we discussed how “Trauma often disrupts a person’s faith in God. At times, it even causes people to feel as though they have lost their faith in God altogether.” But there is hope. That episode can be heard at baptistmessenger.com/podcast.
Hamilton’s book, Making Friends with Darkness, speaks to those who have “PTSD and moral injury recovery with an approach from the Scriptures, providing a plan that is non-formulaic, helps people heal from their trauma, and helps remove barriers to God.”
In the end, life’s hurts can hinder our relationship with God. But it’s God Himself who can and wants to restore us and make us whole—in this life, and ultimately in resurrection life.
If there’s a hurt you are carrying in life today, this season can be a reminder to take it to the Lord. Seek His hope, His healing and His presence. And let’s all remember to “take heart,” because Jesus has overcome!
