Isaiah 53:5 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.

The last line of this verse is often quoted, particularly since Peter did so in his first letter, (1 Peter 2:24) but we need to pay attention to the first part of the verse, too. As the next verse says, we have all sinned and wandered away from God. In His perfect holiness, God could not just excuse that; it had to be paid for. That is the meaning and miracle of the cross. That God would lay the punishment for our sins on His only Son is the most mind-blowing reality of all time and eternity. It is no surprise that Revelation tells us that in heaven we will be singing, “Worthy is the Lamb that was slain!” (Revelation 5:12) All the goodness and grace of God is poured out through that incredible gift of atonement, that we couldn’t begin to deserve. The better we grasp this, the more we will rejoice, whatever our circumstances or our physical condition.

This is very timely, because at the moment I feel pretty miserable, physically speaking. I was worried about getting through the day yesterday, with a wedding and a group of visitors (whom I had forgotten were coming), but my symptoms were sufficiently under control for all of that, and I’m grateful. I was awakened in the night by the pain in my throat, but we have some phenol spray that toned that down sufficiently for me to go back to sleep, all the way to my usual time of getting up. I won’t be making the rounds of the churches physically this morning, but I’ve already done it in prayer, lying in bed before my wife woke up. This morning I am both worship leader and speaker, but the Lord will carry me through that as well. This will be an opportunity to let the believers take more responsibility, adding the shepherds and sheep to our outdoor manger scene after the service. It will also be further training in rejoicing in my own weakness, so that God’s strength may be manifested. (2 Corinthians 12:7-10) The fact that I tend to get so worn out at Christmas is proof that I have plenty of room to grow in that area! I’m grateful that this hasn’t come next week, when we’ll be singing concerts at a nursing home, or the following week, when we’ll be Christmas caroling in this area. The Lord has told me to rest, relax, and rejoice in Him, and I’m still learning how to do that.

Father, words aren’t sufficient to thank You for the atonement You provided through Your Son. May every facet of my life be an expression of gratitude and loving obedience, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!