My Walk With Him: 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....That evening they brought to him many who were oppressed by demons, and he cast out the spirits with a word and healed all who were sick. This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah: "He took our illnesses and bore our diseases."

Friday, April 4, 2025

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....That evening they brought to him many who were oppressed by demons, and he cast out the spirits with a word and healed all who were sick. This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah: "He took our illnesses and bore our diseases."

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....That evening they brought to him many who were oppressed by demons, and he cast out the spirits with a word and healed all who were sick. This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah: "He took our illnesses and bore our diseases." Isaiah 53:4-5, Matthew 8:16-17

I agree with this post on DesiringGod.com that states that Holy Week is the most important week in all of history. As such, I continue with one of the recommendations from the post to prepare for Holy Week, which is to read John Piper's 40-day devotional Fifty Reasons Why Jesus Came to Die. Today I read reason #18: To Heal Us from Moral and Physical Sickness. Here, John Piper points to scripture that offers tremendous encouragement for those of us who suffer from emotional and physical ailments (we all do). Piper starts by sharing that "[d]isease and death were not part of God’s original way with the world. They came in with sin as part of God’s judgment on creation." We are referred to Romans 8:20 where Paul states that "creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope[.]" Piper expands on Paul's thoughts by sharing: God subjected the world to the futility of physical pain to show the horror of moral evil. This futility included death. “Sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin” (Romans 5:12). It included all the groaning of disease. And Christians are not excluded: “Not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit [that is, those who trust Christ], groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies” (Romans 8:23)." The devotion then pivots to the hope that Christ provides because God sent His Son - and through Christ's suffering and death on the cross - to defeat disease and death. Jesus' ministry as a man demonstrated his ability to heal - see Matthew 8:16, Luke 6:19 - and Piper shares how this was done as a preview of what is to come when Jesus returns for the second coming during end times where Revelation 21:4 shares that "he will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain anymore." Piper concludes the devotion by first describing how Christ's death on the cross fulfilled prophecy from Isaiah 53:3 and how Christ's suffering and death purchased "a world without death and disease." Piper then moves to scripture that describes this new world that will be ushered in when Jesus comes again. We are referred to 1 Corinthians 15:54, 2 Corinthians 5:4, and Isaiah 65:25. Rejoice in the hope we have in Christ who has already defeated sin, disease and death and believers' rewards await us in Heaven where Christ is saving a place for us!

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My Prayer: Father God, You are an amazing God that has defeated sin, disease, and death, and I know You are also saving a place in Heaven for me where I will be reunited with many loved ones and brothers and sisters in Christ and there will be no more disease, tears, etc. Awesome! Thank You Father God for my salvation, and for all of the blessings that You pour out for me. I am totally undeserving of course! My sin is great and it continues...daily. Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You. Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me. Help me grow in my faith. Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength. Please continue to heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo. Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior. Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin. Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others. Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.