“All we like sheep have gone astray” (Isaiah 53.6). If you do not see yourself in this statement, then you are not a child of God. If you have never felt the pangs of sinfulness wrapped around your soul, you cannot claim to understand the grace of God. We have all gone astray.
“We have turned—every one—to his own way.” We have alienated ourselves from God. Instead of following our Creator—our Shepherd—we chased some other fancy that caught our eye. By doing so, we said to God, “You are not enough to satisfy me. I choose sin.” It was not an accidental stumble; it was willful rebellion.
Charles Spurgeon points out that this phrase of turning away indicates loneliness. We turned to “our own way.” It may have felt like we followed a crowd, but we had made ourselves the god we serve. Not only did we alienate ourselves from God, but we also alienated ourselves from each other.
Without God as our center, we disintegrate. Our internal desires are not monolithic. They are divided against themselves. Because of this division, we can no longer find peace within. Fear, anxiety, and depression begin to have their way. “The wicked are like the troubled sea, when it cannot rest” (Isaiah 57:20).
This was no small rebellion. It affects us to the core whether we acknowledge it or not. It influences every moment of our day, but the Lord has provided us with a remedy.
“The Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.” Jesus Christ, on the cross, took every evil deed, every sinful thought, and every foul motive of his children and bore their punishment on the cross. There is no remaining iniquity to be laid upon us.
You may be feeling the sting of sin from two years ago, two months ago, or two hours ago, but if you are a child of God through faith in Jesus, that iniquity was laid upon him. It is no longer yours to bear.
Take a minute and let that sink in. Do not rush by this. Do not let this seed fall upon stony ground where the birds will come and eat it up. Linger over this truth. Let it draw you to the feet of your heavenly Father, who welcomes you as his child. Let it calm the fear, anxiety, and depression through the Holy Spirit’s work. Let it bond you together in unity with other believers, dispelling loneliness.
It is possible to finish this short reading as a different person than when you began, not because of anything special in the writing, but because of the Holy Spirit who may be speaking to your heart right now. Whether you are believing for the first time or are a long-time child of God being strengthened by your Savior, our God can make all things new.
There is no guarantee that the Spirit will move. The wind blows where it wishes, so it is with the Spirit of God. If you experienced any refreshment as you read this, praise God, for flesh and blood cannot revive the soul, nor the will of man. Do not rush on when the Spirit moves. Seek Him while He is near. The same Spirit who once breathed upon a valley of dry bones can breathe life into you today.
-D. Eaton
“Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live.” – Ezekiel 37:9
The Fight of Faith 