The servant grew up before God—a scrawny seedling,
a scrubby plant in a parched field.
There was nothing attractive about him,
nothing to cause us to take a second look.
He was looked down on and passed over,
a man who suffered, who knew pain firsthand.
One look at him and people turned away.
We looked down on him, thought he was scum.
But the fact is, it was our pains he carried—
our disfigurements, all the things wrong with us.
We thought he brought it on himself,
that God was punishing him for his own failures.
But it was our sins that did that to him,
that ripped and tore and crushed him—our sins!
He took the punishment, and that made us whole.
Through his bruises we get healed.
We’re all like sheep who’ve wandered off and gotten lost.
We’ve all done our own thing, gone our own way.
And God has piled all our sins, everything we’ve done wrong,
on him, on him.
Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved.
In her book, Unglued, author Lysa TerKeurst describes situations in which many of us have an "inner chatter" going on in our heads much of the time. We analyze what we have said to others... and what they have said to us. We assume that the person is thinking this or that... when truthfully, these were not the other person's thoughts in any way/shape/form. In fact, the person may not have been thinking about us much at all!
Have you ever said to yourself, "He/she must have thought I was crazy!"? Or maybe you have told yourself, "Those people don't like me. I could tell by their body language. It was as much what they DIDN'T say to me as what they said. They think I am fat, lazy, stupid, (or not good enough in any number of ways). Why did I say this or that? Why did I do such-and-such? What was I thinking wearing THAT outfit?!" As TerKeurst says in her book, if you have never thought any of these things or had "inner chatter"... CONGRATULATIONS! You are a rare bird!
I think you can see there is little to no peace in "inner chatter". And boy, does the devil ever do a dance! Here's what struck me as I read this passage today. When we allow these thoughts to worm our way into our hearts, we are adding another stripe to Jesus' back... because He stands ready to take all of these negative thoughts and feelings from us. So when you replay events in your head and stew over how you said things - or what you said - Jesus takes another lash. When you decide that people are talking about you behind your back or criticizing you...add another bruise to Jesus. When you build up a boatload of negative thoughts in your head and lambast yourself with them over and again, Jesus' flesh is ripped and torn once more. Not a peaceful image, is it?!
When we allow these negative ideas to permeate our heart and mind, we need to remember that Jesus stands ready to take all of these feelings - right or wrong - and exchange them for His peace. Yes, we all say or do things from time to time that we truly shouldn't have... and there is nothing wrong with feeling regret, making amends where possible, and moving forward. But the key message in this passage is that Jesus has taken all of our shortcomings, failures and messes... He has already suffered and paid for them... and He doesn't want us to carry these burdens ourselves.
Take a look at John 14:27 and hear Jesus tell His disciples… “I’m leaving you well and whole. That’s my parting gift to you. Peace. I don’t leave you the way you’re used to being left—feeling abandoned, bereft. So don’t be upset. Don’t be distraught.” And this is the message I want us to hear today. Yes… Jesus took our sins and suffered greatly on our behalf. Yes… it was horrific – and yes, we have every reason to be ashamed and uncomfortable that He had to agonize like this for the things we have done. But the way to honor His sacrifices is to live in His blessings and peace... to love Him with our whole heart...to serve Him at every turn.
We must be careful to live and speak in a manner that pleases God... to choose our words and actions wisely. But we must also quiet the devil's "inner chatter," and say, "No way! By the stripes and bruises of Jesus Christ, I am healed. He was wounded that I might have peace... and I will not disrespect His amazing gift by behaving otherwise."
Jesus wants us well... whole... at peace. Are you listening to HIS voice today... or the devil's "inner chatter"? Which voice will you choose to hear?
©2013 Debbie Robus
Unglued by Lysa Terkeurst~©2012 Zondervan Press
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