By His Wounds We Are Healed
What gifts does Jesus offer you today?
Verse of the Day
“But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.”
Today’s Devotional
This may seem like a Bible verse more suited for Easter than for Christmas, but for me, Christmas is all about Jesus.
My first thought about this verse is that it is in the past tense, yet when Isaiah wrote these words Jesus had not been born. Since Isaiah was a prophet, he had a direct line of communication with God. Maybe he saw a vision of Jesus and the salvation He would provide. Or maybe God gave Isaiah a glimpse of the future, a future that had been planned since Eve ate the apple, making reconciliation necessary. Verb tenses aside, this is a beautiful description of what Jesus has done for us.
He was pierced. Literally. Through His hands, His feet, His side. I think he was also pierced emotionally by the dark nature of the flesh that each of us struggles with that pulls us away from God and all that God has in store for our good.
He was crushed. In so many ways. The 39 lashes were meant to beat a man to within an inch of his life. It’s hard for us to fathom how painful that must have been.
But here’s the beautiful part. Those wounds that Jesus suffered are the avenue for us to have peace. And healing. Each soul can be restored through belief in Jesus and the salvation He offers. Our wounds, many of which are the result of living in the broken world with broken humans, can be healed and used to minister to others. Our difficulties can be brought to God in prayer and we can leave them there. We can choose joy simply because the life and death of Jesus proves how much God loves each one of us.
Jesus knew, when He stepped out of heaven, what was waiting for Him. He knew the plan all along. He knew the sins each of us would commit and still He chose to be born so that He could die to save us from those sins. These facts are so beautiful and so humbling that they are hard to truly fathom. Today, Jesus offers us peace and healing. I could ask for no better gift.
Journal Prompts
Answer only the questions that seem relevant to you today.
How can you thank Jesus today for the peace and healing that is available to you?
What areas of your life need healing and peace?
How can you shift your view of this season to one that celebrates the gifts that Jesus offers you?