“But He was pierced for our offenses,
He was crushed for our wrongdoings;
The punishment for our well-being was laid upon Him,
And by His wounds we are healed.
All of us, like sheep, have gone astray,
Each of us has turned to his own way;
But the Lord has caused the wrongdoing of us all
To fall on Him.”

(Isaiah 53:5-6)

The prophet Isaiah foretold a suffering servant who would come and suffer on behalf of the people. Both Christian and Jewish interpreters quibble about the identity of this figure. But for a follower of Christ, it is difficult not to see Jesus in this ancient text.

Jesus died for our sins. His pain was our gain. God’s unwavering opposition to our sin was poured out upon Christ when he died for us. He was “pierced for our offenses,” “crushed for our wrongdoings.” A righteous punishment was laid upon him “for our wellbeing.” He was wounded, but we are healed.

Why? Because we have all gone astray like sheep aimlessly wandering to their doom. Instead of truly following God’s wholesome instruction for our lives, each of us “has turned to his [or her] own way.” “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).

In ancient times people invented gods for themselves and worshipped little statues made with human hands. Perhaps the biggest idol today is the self. Many have done away with any notion of God at all. The highest value of life has become catering to one’s own desires. A new generation has been bombarded with the idea that God is not important, not relevant, not even real. The goal of life then becomes the worship of self instead of God.

The problem is that we were created to worship God. When we worship something other than God, even self, it simply doesn’t work. We may load up on every pleasure that life has to offer only to find ourselves cold, empty, and miserable. Such is the human condition. Humanity has turned aside from the way of God and turned to his own way instead.

God could just condemn us. He would be perfectly just to do so. But what he has done is overwhelming, even shocking. He has caused our “wrongdoing…to fall on Him.” Our wrongdoing has been placed on Jesus. His righteousness and goodness has been placed on us. It’s not fair. Fair would be to let us perish. No, it’s not fair. It’s grace.

God offers this grace freely to all humans. It is received when a human being places his or her trust in Jesus. Jesus is accepted by faith, meaning by trusting in him and his work. Jesus is the Son of God, the one who gave his life on the cross for our sins and rose on the third day in victory over death and hell. We are forgiven and redeemed through faith in the Lord Jesus.

I believe Jesus is the suffering servant Isaiah predicted all those centuries ago. He is not a dead religious teacher but a living Savior for all who come to him in faith. You can come to him in faith, know you are forgiven, and have peace with God beginning right now.

If you’d like to place your faith in Jesus Christ, here are some words you can pray that might help you express your desire to him.

Jesus, I know that I have sinned. I’ve broken your laws and I fall short of your standards. Right now, I turn from my sins and ask you to come into my life. Be my Lord and Savior.

Jesus, I put my faith in you alone to save me from my sins. Thank you for loving me. Thank you for reaching me. I choose to follow you. In your name, Jesus, I pray. Amen.

If you just prayed this prayer, or if you would like prayer for something you are facing, please reach out to me at windhavenchurch@gmail.com.