The Suffering Servant

Someone starting to explore the Bible might ask: Which parts are most important? I previously tried to make a case for 1 Corinthians 15. But one also could make a case for Isaiah 52:13-53:12, a passage known as the Suffering Servant. Read the whole thing, but here are a few highlights from the NIV translation.

My servant will act wisely;
    he will be raised and lifted up and highly exalted.
...
He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him,
    nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.
...
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.
...
For he was cut off from the land of the living;
    for the transgression of my people he was punished.
...
Yet it was the Lord’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer,
    and though the Lord makes his life an offering for sin,
he will see his offspring and prolong his days,
    and the will of the Lord will prosper in his hand.
After he has suffered,
    he will see the light of life and be satisfied
...
Therefore I will give him a portion among the great,
    and he will divide the spoils with the strong,
because he poured out his life unto death,
    and was numbered with the transgressors.
For he bore the sin of many,
    and made intercession for the transgressors.

The Old Testament contains many prophesies of Jesus' arrival, some of which offer more specific details of his life. But the passage of the Suffering Servant is the richest in terms of theology. The passage hints that Jesus will not be a king of military leader, at least not in the traditional sense. Nor will his life be "triumphant," as humans define that word. Rather, he will be put to death as an atonement for all sins. AND THEN, after having died, he somehow will live to "see the light of life" and be awarded a "portion among the great" and the "spoils with the strong."

So this passage, written centuries before Jesus' arrival, predicts his death, gives the reason for his death, and also predicts his resurrection!

Today, read the entire passage of the Suffering Servant, and keep it in your thoughts during prayer.

Fear not, for God is with us

There are various passages in the Bible that advise us not to be anxious or fearful, but rather to trust in God. For example, in John 14:1 (ESV), Jesus says

Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me.

Again, in Philippians 4:6 (ESV), Paul says

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.

 In Isaiah 41:10 (ESV), God speaks through Isaiah saying

Fear not, for I am with you;
    be not dismayed, for I am your God;
I will strengthen you, I will help you,
    I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

Those passages don't promise that life always will be easy. Those passages don't promise that we'll avoid difficult times. But much as Moses advised Joshua, we should realize that God can do anything, so we should submit to him. Believe in him, trust in him, and then leave the consequences of life to him.

A Simple Prayer of Praise

In our prayers, sometimes we struggle with what to say. Or perhaps we might feel that our prayers have grown stale and repetitive. At those times, it might help to remember why God created us.

God created us to praise him, not because he necessarily "needs" the praise. Rather, by praising God, we align our thoughts, desires, and priorities with his. And, ultimately, God wants us aligned with him. Everything in our lives should remain secondary to praising God.

So a great way to reset our prayer lives is to offer a simple prayer of praise. For such an example, turn to 1 Chronicles 29:11 (ESV),

Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and you are exalted as head above all.

Today, offer God this simple prayer of praise.

Actively Seek God

For some people, at specific points in their lives, God might do something dramatic to grab their attention. (Paul's conversion on the road to Damascus is one such example.) But, in general, God doesn't work that way. Instead, he wants us actively to seek him.

But actively seeking God should not be complicated. In Jeremiah 33:3 (ESV), God says,

Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known.

That's it! Simply put, we must ask God to expand our spiritual understanding. James (one of my favorite books in the Bible) says something similar, in chapter 1, verse 5 (ESV),

If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.

These passages suggest that, if we wish to grow spiritually, we cannot sit back and expect that growth to happen by chance. Rather, we must ask God for that growth. Try that in your prayers today!

God's Message to Cain

The beginning of Genesis 4 finds God displeased with Cain, although the chapter is not clear on the reason for God's displeasure. Whatever the reason, Cain can respond to God's displeasure in two ways: (1) change his behavior to align with God's will, or (2) pout. Of course, Cain chooses the latter. God then says to Cain, Genesis 4:6-7 (ESV),

Why are you angry, and why has your face fallen? If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is for you, but you must rule over it.

The same applies to us. When we suffer the consequence of our own wrongdoing, how do we react? Do we recognize God's discipline as serving a purpose to bring us closer to him? Or do we pout and blame others and pull further away from God?

Whatever the state of our lives, God's message is clear: We are to obey him and resist sin.

Backward Priorities: Putting Life's Successes Above God

Modern society encourages us to strive for "success," whether professional, financial, or social. Indeed, we celebrate successful, driven people. We shower them with awards and accolades. We seek to emulate their behavior and work ethic.

But that constant drive for success can be a problem if, in our pursuit of such success, we lose focus on building spiritual successes.

Habakkuk 1:15:16 (ESV) provides an example, speaking of a fisherman,

He brings all of them up with a hook;
    he drags them out with his net;
he gathers them in his dragnet;
    so he rejoices and is glad.
Therefore he sacrifices to his net
    and makes offerings to his dragnet...

The fisherman becomes so enthralled with his professional success that he actually begins to worship his net! He becomes identified with his net. He ranks his net as greater than God.

Do we do the same? In our pursuit of professional, financial, or social success, do we lose sight of accumulating spiritual success? Make a goal for today: Before you go to bed, try to have made some kind of spiritual advancement. It's not hard -- just spend a few minutes in simple, meaningful prayer.