Life really is hard. Sometimes the sorrows, conflicts, and tragedies of the world crush in on me. I feel helpless and hopeless — until I lift my eyes back to Jesus. He is the Sovereign King. Nothing takes Him by surprise, and He really can work all things for good.
We must never ignore or gloss over the reality of life’s intense hardships. Doing that creates a fake life with no integrity. And it falls short of God’s good plans in all things. Our griefs have purpose and potential. We often can’t know the fullness of God’s plans, but seeking Him never fails to produce good. Problems help us seek and savor the touch of the Lord. Our heartaches produce eternal good we can’t even fathom if we trust the Lord with them (Romans 8:28; Ephesians 3:20). We can face the horrors of life–and rise victorious over them–through faith in Jesus Christ. Because He already faced the worst–and won (John 16:33)!
Isaiah 53:3-4 frames our focus for this week:
He was despised and rejected – a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief.
We turned our backs on him and looked the other way. He was despised, and we
did not care. Yet it was our weaknesses he carried; it was our sorrows that
weighed him down. And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God, a
punishment for his own sins!
Isaiah says, the Savior:
● was scorned by the people He came to save.
● experienced and bore our sicknesses.
● was misjudged and misunderstood.
When have you experienced similar heartaches:
♥ Has someone refused the help you offered?
♥ Perhaps a loved one’s illness was a grief you carried?
♥ Or maybe you’ve felt the pain of abandonment or the sting of rejection?
♥ Has someone mis-judged you?
What does knowing God experienced these things reveal about His love?
Could there be purpose in your pain as there was in the suffering of Christ?
Consider sharing your insights with others. Only together can we see God in His fullness.
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