...on the cross You bore the pain of the world.
I know a man who has a framed display of the metals he received during WWII, including the bronze star. A relative once asked him, “What are all these metals?” He said, “I guess it was for killing too many Germans.” He then broke down and wept uncontrollably. As a chaplain I have worked with many war veterans: WWII, Korea, Vietnam, Gulf War, etc. I had one patient who was blown out of his foxhole twice and lived. Another landed on Normandy Beach, Day 1. All he would say was, “You can’t imagine.” Another patient of mine was at Pearl Harbor when it was bombed, another on the famous WWII airplane, the Memphis Belle. War is ugly. It is cruel. And, good men, especially the more sensitive types, live with haunting nightmares of guilt, loss, fear, regret, sadness, unforgiveness, anger, and feelings that few non-war veterans can even begin to comprehend. Sometimes normally good men do bad things during a war. I don’t understand what you’ve been through, but I know One who does: Jesus. The cross of Jesus Christ addresses the main needs of the war veteran. If you are a veteran, do you feel the need for forgiveness? Christ shed his blood to atone and pay for all your sins. Can God forgive the “big” sins? Yes. In fact, the three main writers of the Bible were all guilty of murder: Moses, David, and the Apostle Paul. Once, when working in a psychiatric hospital, I was playing pool with a young man who had been in Satanism. He looked up me, grew very solemn and said, “Do you think God can ever forgive me because I was present when we killed (sacrificed) a baby?”—My heart hit the floor, and then I felt God gave me an answer. I replied, “If God is big enough to forgive us for the death of Jesus, then He is big enough to forgive you for the death of that baby.” We then prayed and he asked Jesus to forgive him. Have you been sinned against? Has your heart been broken? Are you in need of emotional and spiritual healing? At the cross you will find a Savior who can meet you in your deepest pain because he too has suffered. There is scarcely any type of
emotional, physical, or spiritual pain you can imagine that Jesus has not experienced (anger, abuse, abandonment, pain, etc.). He understands what you’ve been through. If you are willing to come to him you can find both forgiveness and healing. If you have been carrying guilt, pain and anger all these years, don’t you think it is time to lay them down? I encourage you to pray the following prayer, or use it as a starting point for some prayers of your own. “ Dear Lord Jesus, I have carried the sins and pains of war too long. I have tried to bury my feelings of guilt, anger and unforgiveness, but when I bury them I bury them alive, and they still live in my mind. Lord, I need you. I ask you to forgive me for all of the sins I have ever committed, especially when I was in the war. You say in your Word that if I confess my sins to you that you are faithful and just and will forgive my sins and purify me from all unrighteousness (I John 1:9). I claim this forgiveness right now through your shed blood, Lord Jesus. I also ask, Lord, that you not only remove the guilt, anger, and unforgiveness I’ve carried all these years, but I ask that you begin to heal my wounded, shattered heart. Lord, only you know the depth of my pain. I know that on the cross You bore the pain of the world. Bear my pain for me. Speak your truth into my heart. As best as I know how, right now, I receive your grace and forgiveness. Please fill me with your Holy Spirit, and help me to live a life pleasing to you. Thank you for hearing this prayer. d Amen .”
—May his grace, mercy, and peace be yours.
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