Advent - Day 1 - BY HIS WOUNDS YOU ARE HEALED

I am so excited that Passion City Church is doing their email Christmas Advent again this year
! I am always so blessed by it!

{ November 30 }

BY HIS WOUNDS YOU ARE HEALED

Isaiah 53:3–6 (ESV)

He was despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. 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. We all like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

REFLECTION

Jesus came to earth on purpose. His arrival wasn’t just for show, and it certainly wasn’t easy. He gave up His rights as God and took on human flesh, to be pierced for our wrongs and to wipe our debt of sin away. His birth and His death were both sacrifices so you might receive His mercy and grace. In Jesus, you are healed. In Him, you are made whole.

Victory over our hurts and pain is not found by delving deeper into our wounds, but by clinging to the wounds of Jesus. Though we caused Jesus’ wounds by our selfish and shameful acts, He was willing to take the blows and bear the scars in His hands, feet, and side that bring us healing, wholeness, and peace with our God. Every wrong you have done and every wrong that has been done to you has been swallowed up in every right that Jesus has done and in every wrong that has been done to Him.

PRAYER

Father, thank You for the gift of your Son, the perfect One giving for an imperfect one like me. Thank you that Jesus died the way He died so I can come to You just as I am. Jesus, give me grace to reach for Your scars, believing that when You suffered and bled for me, my wounds were healed. Let Your peace and power cover and heal my heart. Amen.

This content was excerpted from Waiting Here For You: An Advent Journey of Hope.