Topic: Opportunity in Pain

Text: Isaiah 53: 1- 12

Key verse: Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him to grief….. Isaiah 53:10

Our beloved brother Andrea Crouch, who has gone to be with the Lord, wrote a song titled\” l don\’t know why Jesus loves me. It reminds me constantly of the enormous price Jesus had to pay to rescue me. Our text gives a detailed record of what Jesus would have to go through because of love.

 Some people find it hard to believe that God\’s will could include pain. But he allowed his son to bear so much pain for others to meet different needs. Every detail in the kind of pain he bore was significant for an aspect of need in man\’s life: grief, sorrows, transgressions, iniquities, peace, and our wounds.

Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds, we are healed. All we, like sheep, have gone astray; we have turned—everyone—to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. Isaiah 53:4-6(ESV)

At the time this event took place, no one who witnessed it could understand why it had to happen that way. He was despised by those for whom he suffered. Yet, it was the will of God.

In his infinite wisdom, God had determined that this was how he would show his love for the world. This path of pain would bring opportunities for satisfaction to Jesus, more offspring for the Father, and salvation to all humanity.

But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8(ESV)

But it was the Lord\’s good plan to bruise him and fill him with grief. However, when his soul has been made an offering for sin, then he shall have a multitude of children, many heirs. He shall live again, and God\’s program shall prosper in his hands. 11 And when he sees all that is accomplished by the anguish of his soul, he shall be satisfied; and because of what he has experienced, my righteous Servant shall make many to be counted righteous before God, for he shall bear all their sins. Isaiah 53:10-11(TLB)

It is wrong to believe or teach that God\’s will, will always be free of pain. If the Son of God went through suffering and pain for you and me, then God must have a purpose for your pain, or else you would have had a miraculous escape from prison as he did for Peter.

 This suffering is all part of the work God has given you. Christ, who suffered for you, is your example. Follow in his steps: He never sinned, never told a lie, never answered back when insulted; when he suffered, he did not threaten to get even; he left his case in the hands of God who always judges fairly. 1 Peter 2:21-23(TLB)

The devil may determine harm for a believer, but God works out the good from the situation. I met a lady who waited several years to have a baby and could not. She suffered for a while until she saw an opportunity in pain. She noted that several babies were abandoned and found in dumpsites. She developed a burden for them and went on to build a place to care for such babies until someone came along to adopt them and give them a home. Years later, God gave her biological children. 

Be encouraged by this truth, \”…and we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.\” Romans 8:28

Blessings

Pastor Ada

Reflection

How did Jesus respond to his pain?

How does God want me to respond to the pain I feel?

What opportunity do l have to serve others during this season of my life?