Within your own heart, these two hostile men opened wounds not soon to be staunched; they tore open old scars and poured in the bitterness of malice as vinegar into a fresh cut. The memory of it rises like a foul vapor, threatening to choke out the sweet air of peace. But there is a whisper for you now, a whisper that can drive these grim ogres of despair away: “But there is forgiveness with Thee, that Thou mayest be feared.” That whisper is first for you. The blood of Jesus whispers peace within, even in this dark world of sin. Though sorrows surge around, on Jesus’ bosom nothing but calm is found. He knows the trauma that shakes the soul, and His leaves are for healing, abundant, all-sufficient healing. If the sick soul is full of leprosy, the Savior is full of grace. Put forth your finger now in the dark, touch the hem of His garment, and find that healing virtue flows freely to bind up the broken in heart.
And from that healing, comes the strangest medicine. Look at those two men. Your cry for their salvation rises like incense; it is a prayer born of the divine forgiveness you yourself have received. How perfect, how free, how eternal is the forgiveness God has given you for Christ’s sake! We did nothing to merit it, and we brought nothing to purchase it. Should you then, after such forgiveness, take your brother by the throat? No, a thousand times no. The very freeness of Christ’s pardon to you unlocks your heart to pray for those who despitefully used you. Pray on. It is not a vain thing. Does God teach beggars to beg when He intends to refuse? Would He lay this prayer on your heart if their salvation were an impossibility? There is forgiveness with Him, a deed of divine forgiveness for the very chief of sinners. Even for those two, if they repent and cast themselves at His feet, there is a full acquittal to be had through Jesus Christ.
This is how you move on. Not by steeling your heart, but by staying your mind on Him. The calm after the storm is not a mere absence of noise; it is the profound peace of God which passes all understanding. Let this peace garrison your mind. Jesus we know, and He is on the throne. Your future is unknown, but He is there. That is the end of all doubts. He will keep you in perfect peace, peace, peace, because your trust is in Him. So let the wound be bathed in the love of Christ. Let the blood of Jesus whisper peace, until the trauma is swallowed up in the sea of His forgetfulness. Go your way in peace; you are absolutely, irreversibly, eternally forgiven. And as you walk, carry this same forgiveness to the throne of grace on behalf of your enemies, knowing this is the will of God, that you may fear Him.