Isaiah 53:5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.
I am not comforted by capital punishment. The law of the land may be upheld, some sense of justice might be seen, but I am not comforted. It is not a deterrent to the next offender. Terror and murder do not stop because of pending judgment.
How can the stripes on a man provide any healing, any comfort, any peace? It cannot. I say this with all sincerity, nothing man has or can do will make a difference in eternal suffering. It takes God to perform these miracles. Only God.
Luke 1:37 For with God nothing shall be impossible.
I was broken and now I am whole. I was an addict, now I am free. I was lost, now I am found. I was in turmoil, now I have peace. None of it came by human effort. God rendered a new man in me when I was helpless to help myself.
That is comforting to me. God kept His promise declared in Isaiah 53. Because Jesus Christ is God incarnate, He did this, I am comforted that all the promises He has made will come true. I did not believe because of fear of judgment and punishment. I took the offered hand of love and mercy and He took me in when I was lost and hurting. He healed me. He saved me.
John 14:16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;
Now that is comforting.
Beautiful!
You sure touched a chord with me on this one, brother. Your paragraph of testimony was heart-warming, coming from a totally different set of circumstances than mine. I was raised in a Christian home, and was thankful, but still lost. At nearly 11 years old, my lost condition became a burden, then like you, Jesus found me personally, picked me up in His arms of love, placed me in John 3:16 and gave me peace and comfort. I need to quote a poem here—it fits so well. “I have been alone with Jesus, with my head upon His breast, for I was so very weary, that I wanted there to rest. And He bade me stay awhile, and I felt it very precious, in the sunshine of His love. Shall I tell you what He told me while I still was waiting there? For it took away my trouble, and it took away my care! He told me that He loves me! and I was so very happy as He looked on me and smiled, and I felt it very precious in the sunshine of His love.” I’m sorry that this is so long, but I truly feel a “kindred spirit” with you, Larry, especially with this post. Thank you, dear brother
And I you Ron. Thanks for the poem.