The pain, the victory, the wonder, the shame, the Cross Isaiah 53

Isaiah 53: 4-5

Surely he took up our pain
    and bore our suffering,
yet we considered him punished by God,
    stricken by him, and afflicted.
⁵ But he was pierced for our transgressions,
    he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was on him,


First of all Isaiah 53 is an amazing passage!  To think such accurate words could be written about Jesus the Messiah who would be born hundreds of years in the future!  Amazing.  Only God could see and inspire Isaiah to write such words!

but when I read that text over and over and allow my heart to hear and feel what it says, I have a mixture of feelings from sorrow, sadness, pain, surprise, and guilt. Most of all I feel greatly thankful for God's grace shown to us in Jesus Christ. 

 It also reminds me of just how much God was and is in control of all things.  The Pharisees thought they were taking control of things when Jesus was arrested.  The Romans thought they were taking control as they put Jesus on the cross.  The demons of Hell thought they were in control when they crushed Jesus.  But it was really Jesus who, through his death on the cross, took control of my sin and your sin.  Yes at the end of the day and after the dust settled Jesus was standing in control!

No, I will never be able to rejoice at the cross because my Lord suffered such great pain.  I will never rejoice in the victory of the cross for my sins caused him to be there.  Yet, in a wonderful way we can have peace for on the Cross it was finished for now and forevermore.

To consider: Why don't you thank God today for the pain and suffering Jesus went through because of his love for you.  May we never grow comfortable with the cross and or forget what it means.

Remember peace doesn't come through possessions, achievements or luxury of our day.  Peace comes through the cross.  May we never forget the price Jesus paid for our peace.

the road of blessing starts with a broken heart: Nehemiah 1:4

Nehemiah was serving as the cup bearer for the king in Assyria several years following the exile of the people of Judah.  It was a dark time indeed. It was then that he heard word about the people who escaped the exile.  Hanani, one of his brothers, along with other men told him,

 "....Those who survived the exile and are back in the province are in great trouble and disgrace.  The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been burned with fire." Nehemiah 1:3  Then he writes, "When I heard these things, I sat down and wept.  For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven."  Nehemiah 1:4

If you read the book of Nehemiah you will see a portrait of a great leader.  Someone whom God used to accomplish his purposes to reestablish Judah by rebuilding the walls of the city.  This was a mighty challenge!  But today I want to point out that it all started with a broken hearted man who did two things.

1.  He inquired of the condition of the people back in Judah
2.   He mourned over the news of there great trouble.

Nehemiah had a passion for the people and a passion for the city of Jerusalem and I want to think about that today.   In my next blog I want to focus on the fact that he had an opportunity to be a blessing and the boldness to carry it out.

But let us never forget that before he did anything else he had a burden in his heart and he mourned over that burden.  Without such a burdened heart I'm not sure that Nehemiah would have done anything. 

It is understandable that Nehemiah was deeply troubled to hear news of his homeland.   But his attitude went much deeper.  His heart was crushed and deeply burdened.  Not only did he pray. He mourned and fasted before the God of heaven and I believe God honored him as a result.

  Psalm 34:18 says,"The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit."

and in Isaiah 42:3  it says,  "A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out."

In Matthew 5:3,4  Jesus proclaims, "Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.  Blessed are those who mourn for they will be comforted."

All of these Scriptures tell me that God is near us when we are deeply burdened.  He hears our cries and is moved by compassion.  But what really moves God is when we cry out to God in faith during our deep burdens.

The Psalmist wrote, "In my distress I called to the Lord; I cried to my God for help.  From his temple he heard my voice; my cry came before him, into his ears."  Psalm 18:6  

Now it's not that God doesn't hear us when we offer our simple prayers for help.  We aren't heard just because we call to God in a louder voice but God hears more then our volume.  God hears our heart and responds with compassion.

Later you'll see that Nehemiah was going to be used to answer his own prayer and that is important but just for today let us not over look the importance of feeling the pain and suffering of others.   God meets us at that place.  Literally those prayers from our burdened heart are seeds planted and our tears are the first nourishment.  Yes God meets us there.  This is the place that we open up our heart and our hands before God.  At these moments God loves us and fill our hearts with hope.

At these times we either wrestle with God like Jacob or we surrender our heart like Isaiah.  Either way we are touched deeply by the hand of God and often a new call is placed upon our life.  Nehemiah would answer that call but he may have never heard the call in his ears if his heart wasn't first opened and rent before God.   

Perhaps you have a burden today.  Some people might tell you to just have faith.  Some might offer the wisdom of our times "Don't worry be happy."  But sometimes God uses our sorrow for good especially if we allow the Lord to be present with us and meet us.  Jeremiah 29:13,14a  promises, "You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.  I will be found by you, declares the Lord,..."

Yes your heart might be broken but don't try to patch it up, suppress it, ignore it or try to move on too fast.  Turn to the Lord in prayer and know that he will meet you.  Trust God with your pain.  Wrestle if you must but when morning comes let him have his way.  You too may find purpose and a new ministry.  These are holy moments lean into them, give the Lord your pain and know that in time God promises to make all things beautiful.   

Prayer:  Dear God bless my friends who are gripped in fear and pain today.  Give them faith.  Help them to open their hearts to you.  Help them to cry out to you.  May their tears be their nourishment and your gracious touch bring them new hope and direction.   Amen

Courage in the face of our struggles - Joshua 1:9

Our faith and our courage are proven and tested best under fire.

It's one thing to say that we believe. It’s one thing to know the Bible, the laws and the right thing to do and yet a very different thing to live by them. But live by our convictions we must!  

Some people wonder if God tests our faith by causing challenges and pain in our life. I tell them God doesn't have too.... life is filled with enough challenges all its own. Now it is true that sometimes I think God allows us to face certain trials and pains for one reason or another. Thankfully out of God's grace we don't experience all the pain this life has to offer. Thankfully by God's grace we do drive to work and back safely and the drunk driver doesn't always hit another car.

No, I don't think that God tests us but if we are to live in this world of troubles and sin we will face our share of pain. Unfortunately, most of us will never become self-made millionaires who can hibernate on a deserted tropical island far away from the idiots of this world.   

In Joshua's case, as with most of the great heroes of the Bible,  trials, worries, fears, and, yes, great pain would come to him precisely because he was confronting the evil world as a Godly leader. It is true that sometimes Joshua's greatest defeats came as the result of his failure and the failure of the people to obey God's word. However, his worries and struggles were no less challenging when he was doing everything right. That is just how life is most of the time but because we are human we don't like the world to work that way. We want to be blessed when we've been living right and when we mess up we understand why we get ourselves into trouble. With this thinking in mind, when we can't see a reason for our pain, we tend to blame God and shake our fist. God understands this of course and the Bible is filled with people who cried out a variation of our favorite complaint,"Why me, Lord!" I've said that a couple times over the past couple of years myself.

Yes, over and over God tells Joshua to be strong and courageous. Why?  Simply because life is hard especially for those with the courage to face the evil of this world head on. But know this, "If you are standing for what is right, God is standing behind you and with you. If you let God, he will also carry you."

I offer these words to all of my friends who are suffering. Especially for those who struggle with Trigeminal Neuralgia like I have suffered over the last two and a half years. God is with you in the pain. Pain is not our enemy. Of course, it is not our friend either! Pain is not the enemy but giving up and hiding out is. But God surely understands and is with us during those times as well for God draws near to those who are in pain.  

Personally, since I've received healing following a surgery in February, I have come to the point that I am thankful for those two years. I've learned much about myself. I didn't give up. I wish I could say I didn't complain and do my share of hiding out. My wife would correct me if I said that! No, I am not the ideal patient but through the pain I have learned much. I know that I'm a much better counselor and I have much more confidence in most areas of my life. I've learned that God is able to hold us even through the most difficult struggles. If you can make it through Trigeminal Neuralgia, you can make it through just about anything.

So to all my friends from the Trigeminal Neuralgia group I offer these words: "Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD, your God, will be with you wherever you go." Joshua 1:9 That truth was given to Joshua but it seems to me we can embrace that truth as well because it comes from the heart of an unchanging God who loves us.

To Ponder: If you lack courage, hand your cares to the Lord for God cares for you.   

These are the words of Jesus to you today: "Come to me, all of you who are tired and have heavy loads, and I will give you rest. Accept my teachings and learn from me, because I am gentle and humble in spirit, and you will find rest for your lives. The teaching that I ask you to accept is easy; the load I give you to carry is light."  Matthew 11:28-30

God bless you and give you strength and courage.