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The Gift of the Suffering Servant

Written by ronda on . Posted in Phoebe Connections.

Isaiah 53:4-6

Yet He Himself bore our sicknesses, and He carried our pains; but we in turn regarded Him stricken, struck down by God, and afflicted. But He was pierced because of our transgressions, crushed because of our iniquities; punishment for our peace was on Him, and we are healed by His wounds. We all went astray like sheep; we all have turned to our own way; and the LORD has punished Him for the iniquity of us all.

When we read these verses, we are reminded of Jesus and the sacrifice He made for us. The words bear detail to Jesus’s suffering on the cross. While these words are written in past tense, the crucifixion took place several hundred years after they were penned. Isaiah spoke a prophetic message of the sacrifice of God’s suffering Servant. How powerful a message this becomes for us who live on the finished side of the cross to see the prophecy written in the Old Testament and the details of its fulfillment described in the New Testament. How could Isaiah have made such a chilling, accurate, and sobering prophecy unless he was divinely inspired?

As Christians, we know the prophecy was fulfilled in Christ, but do we really believe all the words are true? He bore our sicknesses and carried our pains, but do we really believe God will heal us? Too often, we believe God has stricken us out of His anger, but this is what He did to Jesus on the cross. If Jesus carried our penalty, why do we still think we must pay for our sins? Indeed, the concept of grace can sometimes seem incomprehensible.

Our God is a healing God. Why do people still die from sickness? We live in a fallen world, where it is appointed unto every man once to die. We were not made for this world; we were made for heaven. God still heals, and we have every reason to believe for healing. In our sicknesses, however, we are neither cursed nor condemned. We are made righteous through the blood of Jesus. Therefore, we have hope.

Take time to thank God for the sacrifice of the suffering Servant today. By His wounds we are healed. God poured out His full wrath upon Jesus on the cross so we might live eternally with Him. Life is not over for any of us. When we die, it is simply a change of address – to a place where we will suffer no more! Whether God heals our physical bodies or takes us to be with Him, we are beneficiaries of His divine grace. We are victorious either way.

Have a blessed day!

PHOEBE Connections, Inc. is a 501(c)3 dedicated to enhancing the lives of widows by building relationships and helping them find new identity in Jesus Christ through serving others. We promote an atmosphere of fellowship, where the widow can connect with other widows to develop friendships and supportive relationships.