The Suffering Servant

 

     Over three hundred prophecies came to fulfillment in the birth, life, death and resurrection of Jesus. These prophecies were written by numerous authors over hundreds of years, all through the Holy Spirit. Some of the prophecies were written by the prophet, Isaiah, more than 600 years before the birth of Christ. He tells us Jesus will be a man with no distinct features, a suffering servant sent to heal our wounds.

He grew up before him like a tender shoot and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to Him, nothing in His appearance that we should desire Him. He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces, He was despised, and we held Him in low esteem. Isaiah 53:2-3

     Jesus hid His glory for us, coming as a servant, with no distinguishing features and mankind rejected Him. But because of Him, our souls are healed. Here is more from Isaiah.

But He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities, the punishment that brought us peace was on Him, and by His wounds we are healed. Isaiah 53:5

     The Bible holds an astounding account of history, science, and truth. Not one jot, not one image, not one historical, archeological, geological or scientific fact, from the word has been proven false. Each prophetic word has been 100 percent accurate and there are more to come in the second coming of Christ.

     His footsteps draw ever closer and one day soon, evil will be vanquished and a new heaven and a new earth will be ours forever. Link your heart to the suffering servant. He found a way for us to be united with a holy God. He now lives in glory, forever, Lord of all.

Father,

The miraculous prophecies of old have proven true in the first coming of Jesus. Thank You for sending Him to pay the price for us. Your word shines as a lamp to our feet and a light to our path. (Psalm 119:105)

Amen

An Anchor of Hope

 

     Crises and times of suffering can come upon us without warning, or seep into our lives gradually or may even cast their shadow over a lifetime. Several friends are dealing with serious health issues and another is finally dealing with a lifetime of hiding depression and anxiety.

     This is a fallen world. There is no escaping the tough times that may surround us. This time of the year can be especially hard. Jesus overcame the world for us. He conquered death and felt the sin, the disease, the evil, all of the suffering in His earthly body. We can’t imagine the pain He endured, the price He paid, and because of His suffering, He understands.

     Many times, we come to our knees at just such times of suffering. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to go another minute without recognizing my need for a Savior, a comforting friend, a loving Father, a living Lord, a conquering King.

     It can feel impossible to figure out how to comfort and support our friends and families, but no one on the planet can bring more hope and peace than Jesus. His hope moves us beyond this life, into the heavens; hope beyond anything this world offers.

     In addition, He can use our suffering. I don’t completely understand it, but looking back over the decades, I recognize His presence, His power, His ability to use pain to offer solace to others, kindred spirits in need of comfort. The God of eternity offers guidance along the way. He is our anchor of hope, our foundation in a world that can bring pain.

We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain. Hebrews 6:19

Father,

We need You to get us through. Comfort those who grieve. Bring peace to those in pain and let us know and understand hope eternal. Keep us anchored in You.

In Jesus name,

Amen

Eternity

 

     This earthly life of ours will end and eternity awaits. The missing piece of the puzzle here on earth is Jesus. Our deepest needs are met in Him as we learn to pray, believe, rest and love in Him. His deep peace and joy will abide with us as we recognize the truth of the brevity of life on earth and the certainty of eternal life.

He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has set eternity in the hearts of men, yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end. Ecclesiastes 3:11

      Eternity is in our hearts. All we are missing is Jesus. Everything is made clear in Him. Set Your focus on Jesus. He invites you into a life on earth surrounded with His love and a promised life forever in a perfect new heaven and new earth. Why wait?

If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe with your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. Romans 10:9

For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son that whoever believes in Him will not perish but will have eternal life. John 3:16

Jesus,

We love You. We believe in You. We take rest in You and we pray to You. Take our hearts as we confess You are Lord.

Amen

Love

You are dearly loved by our God.

For we know, brothers and sisters, loved by God, that He has chosen you. 1 Thessalonians 1:4

     He has called you by name:

He calls His own sheep by name and leads them out. John 10;3

He surrounds you:

You hem me in behind and before, and you lay your hand upon me. Psalm 139:3

His love is perfect:

There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is made perfect in love. 1 John 4:18

He is always with you:

So do not fear, for I am with you. Do not be dismayed for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Isaiah 41:10

He loves you with an everlasting love:

The Lord appeared to us in the past saying, “I have loved you with an everlasting love. I have drawn you with unfailing kindness”. Jeremiah 31:3

And nothing, not ever, can separate you from His love.

Neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God, that is in Christ Jesus, our Lord. Romans 8:39

Dear Heavenly Father,

Your perfect love surrounds us. You presence hems us in. We are Your dearly loved children. Nothing, not ever, can separate us from Your everlasting love. You shared that love with us through Jesus, our Lord.

Amen

 

Rest

I have suffered and continue to deal with insomnia. Anxiety and sleeplessness began when I was a teenager. My dad died suddenly in his sleep when I was just fourteen and I felt my world slip out of control. It is easy to become fearful and overwhelmed in the middle of the night as the clock slowly ticks away the hours. Our bodies and our souls need rest.

     When you are frustrated and tired, list some of God’s promises to us and feel His presence and His peace.

The darkness has no power over our God:

Even the darkness will not be dark to You. The night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to You. Psalm 139:12

He cares for me:

Cast all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you. 1 Peter 5:7

He is always present:

Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. James 4:8

He promises rest:

In peace I will both lie down and sleep, for You alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety. Psalm 4:8

When you lie down, you will not be afraid. When you lie down, your sleep will be sweet. Proverbs3:24

“Come to Me, all who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28

You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast because they trust in You. Isaiah 26:3

     Have some verses ready to battle your way through Satan’s attacks, through the fear, the doubt, the sleepless nights. His promises are real.

Lord,

You watch over us. Darkness is as light to You. You are present with us with your everlasting love. Keep us in perfect peace.

In Jesus name,

Amen

 

Belief

 

     God knows the end from the beginning. He knows the words that we will speak before one word leaves our mouth. (Psalm 139) He knows the steps we will take, and He walks ahead of us, making a way. As fallen humans in a fallen world, it is easy to become discouraged when we are facing a trial. Grief is real. Fear is real. Anxiety is real. But God…

     Joseph doubted. But God…(Genesis 41:16) Israel was doomed. But God…(Genesis 45:7) Others can set out to harm us. But God…(Genesis 50:20)  We doubt when we don’t get an answer. But God…(1 Samuel 14:37) We feel guilt. But God…(Romans 5:8) When we feel we haven’t done enough. But God…(1 Corinthians 3:6)

     Believe in the deepest recesses of your soul that God is working. He will overcome all of our weaknesses with His mighty strength. Our constant, steadfast faith pleases Him.

And without faith, it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him. Hebrews 11:6

Immediately, the boy’s father exclaimed, “I do believe. Help me overcome my unbelief.” Mark 9:24

Father,

We ask You to help us with our unbelief. We long to trust You in every situation, knowing You are ahead of us making a way. Our faith pleases You. We do believe!

In Jesus name,

Amen

Prayer

     None of us are able to understand what is going on deep within the hearts of others. Our outer facades may include putting on our “happy go-to-church” faces, with the typical, “How are you,” followed by the response, “fine,” or “good,” “And, how are you?”  In Minnesota we call it, “Minnesota nice.”

     Nice is well and good, but heading to church with our fellow believers should give us a safe place to share our hurt, to reach out for help, to forget about people-pleasing or acting in a certain way. How do we reach out to others in need? Or ask for help ourselves?

     What a gift it is to pray for those in need, to offer support and the love of Christ. Are you willing to open up to your fellow believers? I sure have over the years. The power of prayer has lifted me up and give me strength time and time again. Knowing others are praying is powerful and God will move!

     It is a true gift to know others are praying for us. The power of prayer is real and God moves mountains for us. He loves to hear our petitions, our needs and our gratefulness. He understands our deepest needs, the needs that are difficult to share.

And pray in the Spirit on all occasions, with all kinds of prayers and requests. With that in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. Ephesians 3:18

Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise. Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. James 5:13-14

     Prayer can meet our deepest needs. Pray continually. Pray for others in need. Pray with praise and thankfulness. Make your requests known to our Father in heaven, through Jesus Christ, our Lord and wait expectantly for His answer.

Amen