“Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows. He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed” (Isaiah 53:4, 5).
Sadan’s face looked normal, but his feet were already beginning to show the marks that the disease would leave throughout his body. One foot was only half of its original size, because of the bone infections he had suffered. The main cause of the infection was the constant two wounds he got as he walked along, although he never felt a thing. At his leprosy hospital, Dr. Brand decided to try to devise a shoe that would distribute the pressure evenly on the foot so that the skin would be more protected from bumping into things so forcefully. He tried a plaster covering; shoes made of plastic that were fitted specifically to the foot by using wax molds; tall, stiff boots; soft, spongy, nothing worked.
After a long day of hard work, Dr. Brand put to use his skill as a carpenter and fashioned a special sort of wooden shoe, carving out the exact shape of Sudan’s maimed foot so it would fit perfectly.
Sooner or later, a new wound would appear, or there would be some other sign that the treatment wasn’t being effective. But each time, Dr. Brand would try again, carefully examining every inch of Sadan’s foot until he found something new that would allow him to do something to help. At one time he said, “As the months went by, I learned to feel the pain that he couldn’t feel.»
Thanks to the hands of this devoted specialist Sadan was able to begin to feel things where there was only numbness.
There is a close similarity between this story and our experience with God! Jesus comes to us; He seeks us out in the midst of the sickness of this world. He looks for a way for each of us, according to our personal need, might learn to walk and feel a bit of what He designed for us in His original plan.
And yet, again and again the stains of sin show up in unexpected places and He needs to start over again. But He learned to suffer our pain, and by His wounds we are healed.
What sensitive spots in your life do you need the Great Physician to touch to help you in your walk today?
