Today's Devotional
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.
Isaiah 53:5
It is true that disease flows from the curse God pronounced on us after Adam’s rebellion. It is also true that Jesus came to reverse this curse. But does this mean Christians shouldn’t have to put up with cancer, Down syndrome, Lyme disease or Alzheimer’s? We’d like to think that since Jesus came to take up our diseases, there should be healing for everything from migraines to menopausal sweats. But that’s akin to saying: “There’s an oak in every acorn – so take this acorn and start sawing planks for picnic tables.” Or it’s like saying, “Congress just passed a Clean Water Act, so tomorrow morning Manhattan residents can start drinking from the East River.” Forty years will pass before that oak is ready for lumbering. Purging industrial ooze out of a river will take decades.
And so it is with Jesus’ reversal of sin’s curse (and the suffering that goes with it). What Jesus began doing to sin and its results won’t be complete until the Second Coming. The purchase of salvation was complete and the outcome was settled with certainty. But the application of salvation to God's people was anything but finished. God “has saved” us, yet we are still “being saved” (I Corinthians 1:18). We are still on earth… this means we’re still going to feel the influence of that old curse. At least until heaven!
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First Corinthians 15:45 calls Jesus “the last Adam” who came to undo the curse triggered in the Garden of Eden – but this summer you’ll still be wrestling with weeds in your backyard, as well as a backache from all that hoeing. Only in Paradise will it be said, “No longer will there be any curse” (Revelation 22:3).
Jesus, thank you that you saved me… and that I am still being saved. I look to that day in heaven when there will be no more sorrow, sickness, disease or death!
From More Precious Than Silver, April 6, by Joni Eareckson Tada, Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1998.
Tomorrow's Devotional
Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows…
Isaiah 53:4
Nobody likes to be sad. No Christian welcomes grief. So aren’t you glad that Jesus carried our sorrows when he went to the cross?! But sorrow did not cease with the death and resurrection of Christ. Think of the apostle Paul who confessed to “great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart” over the spiritual lostness of his race. He also described Christ’s apostles as “sorrowful, yet always rejoicing.” Jesus’ death did not hinder him from saying, “Blessed are you who weep now.” It did not hinder James from advising us to “grieve, mourn and wail” when we sin. Sorrow and tears, disappointment and grief are written into God's plan for you and me. To be sure, he lightens and brightens our days with glimpses of Paradise; he ladles out foretastes of bliss through a thousand blessings large and small. But they are all just that – glimpses and foretastes. We are not in heaven yet. We are destined to experience earth’s sorrow.
But when tears and sorrow come, we look to Jesus – he bore to the cross the very tears you cry. He blamed no one when he felt the weight of grief and disappointment. He did not shrink from sorrow, nor sink under the burden of sadness. The load was heavy and the way was long, but he persevered. And he gives you power to do the same.
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When we grieve and feel deep sorrow, we must look to Jesus who endured a greater grief and sorrow. There’s a reason Jesus says “Blessed are those who mourn” – sorrow forces you and I to identify more deeply with the Savior when he carried his cross. If you are experiencing sorrow, if your tears seem to flow endlessly over a deep disappointment, remember the Savior. He persevered. That means you can, too.
When I grieve, thank you, Lord God, for supporting me with your presence and consolation. My tears help me to know you better. They drive me into your comforting arms. Thank you for that.
From More Precious Than Silver, April 6, by Joni Eareckson Tada, Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1998.
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