July 17

Isaiah 53:3-5

He was despised and rejected by men,

a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering.

Like one from whom men hide their faces

he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

Surely he took up our infirmities

and carried our sorrows,

yet we considered him stricken by God,

smitten by him, and afflicted.

But he was pierced for our transgressions,

he was crushed for our iniquities;

the punishment that brought us peace was upon him,

and by his wounds we are healed.

Romans 5:8

But God demonstrated his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

The Son of God became a man to enable men to become sons of God

~ C. S. Lewis

I can still remember the first time I heard Romans 5:8. It was a moment where a light bulb turned on in my head. My dad is a pastor and I grew up in the church hearing about the love of God. I don't think there was ever a time when I doubted God's existence, but it took awhile for that knowledge to change the way I was living. I was at a youth group meeting when one of my friends quoted this verse. "While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." I was floored by this truth. God loves me even when I am far from Him. Even years later, the words of this verse overwhelm me.

While reading today's passage, again, I couldn't help but be astonished at how great God's love is. There are many, many prophecies in the Old Testament that point to the Messiah. Isaiah 53 definitely stands out among them as having specific and vivid details that we know were fulfilled in the death of Jesus. I was reminded of Romans 5:8 and how amazing it is that Christ died for the sinful. I had another "light bulb moment" when I realized that God devised a plan to send us a Savior, showed us glimpses of His plan at various times in history, and carried out this plan that cost Him greatly... all while we were still sinners. God didn't just decide to sacrifice His Son for our sins on a whim. From the moment sin first entered the world, God knew what it would cost and how painful it would be to restore His relationship with us. As time went on and people kept sinning, He never veered from His plan. God intentionally, purposely, and deliberately gave His Son for us. That is a kind of love that I cannot wrap my around. Thank you, God, for loving us more than we could ever comprehend!