Shots

“He heals the brokenhearted, and binds up their wounds.” Psalm 147:3

Today is Day 328 here at the Dispatch. In many respects, it’s a day like the all the rest. It’s a cold but beautiful Saturday in February. In one particular respect, however, it’s a day of great significance around here. Erika and I are getting the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.

This won’t change much about our lives. Not soon, anyway. The vaccine rollout continues to be slower than any of us would like. The virus isn’t going away anytime soon. Still, I’m excited to do my part, especially since my part is just rolling up my sleeve.

The psalmist speaks of how the Lord brings healing. Note the parallelism: God heals broken hearts and (physical) wounds. Sometimes this healing is of the miraculous sort, as we’ll hear about tomorrow in worship. Jesus goes to Simon’s house in Capernaum and heals Simon’s mother-in-law of her fever. Just like that. Sometimes, the healing is not physical. More than 450,000 people have died of COVID-19 in our nation. The number is staggering. It is made up not of data points but of people, individuals whose deaths broke the hearts of their loved ones. Here, God speaks healing through resurrection and the hope we have in Christ.

And sometimes, the healing God works is through human ingenuity. It is a marvel that multiple effective vaccines have been developed in such a short window of time. Thank you, Lord, for gifting humanity with intellect and inventiveness. Thank you for researchers who explore and discover, and for those on the front lines who administer vaccines and care for the sick. Thank you, Lord, for being present with us in the midst of the pandemic.

As always: Be well, friends. You are loved.

God of hope and healing, thank you for your Son, Jesus Christ, who binds up our wounds and renews our hearts. Continue to bless researchers, scientists, doctors, and nurses with wisdom, insight, and endurance, until the scourge of this pandemic is lifted. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Image: Torsten, finding light at the end of the tunnel.