The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul.
Psalm 23:1-3
How does God restore your soul? By leading you to Jesus Christ. This is what He was doing through the ministry of Isaiah 700 years before the birth of Jesus, and this is what He wants to do in your life today.
Isaiah 53 is one of the clearest statements in the Bible of what Jesus has accomplished for His people. Here is the first thing Jesus has done for us: “Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows” (53:4). He came to redeem you. That means He came to release you, set you free, do whatever it takes to get you out of the mess you are in.
When Isaiah spoke about the redeeming work of Jesus, he did not begin with our guilt and sin; that comes later. He started with our suffering. That would include the division in our families, the loss of a job, the death of a loved one, or a pain from the past.
Jesus has not abandoned you in your grief and sorrow. He refused to remain in heaven at a distance from your pain and your tears. He came near, and He bore our griefs and carried our sorrows for us. Jesus will not allow suffering to be the last word in your life.
What grief or sorrow could you ask the Lord to redeem you from?
