{"id":93244,"date":"2026-01-17T13:55:33","date_gmt":"2026-01-17T19:55:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/?p=93244"},"modified":"2026-01-17T13:55:33","modified_gmt":"2026-01-17T19:55:33","slug":"what-god-does-with-the-wounded","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/what-god-does-with-the-wounded\/","title":{"rendered":"What God Does with the Wounded"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\t<p>by Matthew Allan<\/p>\n<p>Many are tired. Not just busy, but worn down: disappointment, loss, prayers that feel unanswered, strained relationships, and quiet grief that piles up over time. The Lord is near the brokenhearted; he saves those crushed in spirit (Psalms 34:18).<\/p>\n<h2>God draws near, not away<\/h2>\n<p>When people are wounded, they pull back, isolate, and feel forgotten. But God moves toward them. In Scripture, God consistently meets people at their lowest points.<\/p>\n<p>He met Hagar when she was alone and afraid. He met Elijah when exhaustion and fear overtook him, and he asked to die. He met David in caves, hunted, and hid for his life. The wounded heart is not a barrier to God, but is a place where His presence becomes clearest.<\/p>\n<h2>God revives what pain has crushed<\/h2>\n<p>God doesn&#8217;t merely sympathize with our wounds; He restores life where pain has drained it away. Revival doesn&#8217;t happen quickly. Sometimes healing is slow, and strength returns in small measures. But God works even when the wounded cannot see it.<\/p>\n<h2>God uses wounds; He does not waste them<\/h2>\n<p>Wounds deepen compassion, soften pride, and teach dependence. They open our eyes to others&#8217; suffering. Those who have been crushed often become gentle shepherds, patient friends, and understanding servants. Their strength is not loud, but steady and real.<\/p>\n<h2>A word for the weary<\/h2>\n<p>If you&#8217;re wounded, God has not stepped away. He is near. He is working. You may feel weak and unsure, but Scripture says God dwells with the crushed in spirit. You are not abandoned, overlooked, or beyond hope. &#8220;Come to me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest&#8230;&#8221;<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>by Matthew Allan Many are tired. Not just busy, but worn down: disappointment, loss, prayers that feel unanswered, strained relationships, and quiet grief that piles up over time. The Lord is near the brokenhearted; he saves those crushed in spirit (Psalms 34:18). God draws near, not away When people are wounded, they pull back, isolate,&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[182,188],"class_list":["post-93244","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-article","tag-suffering","tag-trials"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":28347,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/how-can-a-girl-get-over-the-disappointment-that-her-boyfriend-isnt-a-virgin\/","url_meta":{"origin":93244,"position":0},"title":"How can a girl get over the disappointment that her boyfriend isn&#8217;t a virgin?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"August 8, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: How can a virgin get over the disappointment that her boyfriend isn't a virgin? I am a female in her mid-twenties and a virgin. A childhood friend of mine moved back to the city we grew up in, and we became friends again, attending church and Bible study together.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Answer&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":4875,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/hezekiahs-prayer\/","url_meta":{"origin":93244,"position":1},"title":"Hezekiah&#8217;s Prayer","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"June 2, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Isaiah 38:9-20 \u00a0 I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Many people are familiar with Hezekiah\u2019s prayer asking God for help against the Assyrian army, but I would like for us to take a few minutes to examine Hezekiah\u2019s prayer of thanksgiving after he was healed of an illness II.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Bitterness \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Isaiah 38:9-10\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Audio&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Audio","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/audio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":32857,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/why-did-god-forbid-priests-who-had-defects-from-serving\/","url_meta":{"origin":93244,"position":2},"title":"Why did God forbid priests who had defects from serving?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"March 2, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: In Leviticus 21:18, those people were not responsible for being that way. How can I explain this to others, especially that of a flat-nosed person? Answer: Many of the laws regarding worship under the Old Testament existed because they symbolically represented something under the New Testament. Thus, sacrifices had\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Answer&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":31766,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/why-does-it-feel-as-if-im-going-through-an-intellectual-exercise-when-i-talk-about-the-bible-to-others\/","url_meta":{"origin":93244,"position":3},"title":"Why does it feel as if I&#8217;m going through an intellectual exercise when I talk about the Bible to others?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"February 13, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: As I study the Bible more and talk with people more about it, it seems like sometimes it becomes an intellectual exercise instead of my way of life. It definitely is my way of life; I feel like I'm living properly as far as I can tell, I do\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Answer&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":44214,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/my-husband-is-a-drug-manufacturer-and-got-me-into-drugs-as-well\/","url_meta":{"origin":93244,"position":4},"title":"My husband is a drug manufacturer and got me into drugs as well","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"December 22, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I'm a woman in my thirties with several beautiful children.\u00a0 I'm married. My husband and I are from different countries and very different cultures. We met in my country and immediately started seeing each other. He accepted me with my children and treats them as his own.\u00a0 Within three\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Answer&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":51687,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/what-is-the-hardest-command\/","url_meta":{"origin":93244,"position":5},"title":"What Is the Hardest Command?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"October 6, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jefferson David Tant From time to time, we see articles written about love. We remember a lawyer asking Jesus a question, \"trying him: Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law? And he said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Article&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/KirklandMemorial-300x225.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/93244","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=93244"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/93244\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=93244"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=93244"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=93244"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}