LHM Daily Devotions - SATISFIED

"SATISFIED"

Apr. 19, 2019

Out of the anguish of His soul He shall see and be satisfied.

~ Isaiah 53:11 (ESV)

Have you ever wondered why Jesus chose to suffer and die on the cross? I don't mean the usual answer, the easy answer: "Because He loved us." That, of course, is true. But if you are like me, there's something in the back of your mind that occasionally whispers: "You can love someone and still be disappointed in them. You can love someone but not like them very much. What if Jesus only puts up with me because He HAS to—because that's His job? What if He takes care of me because he's that kind of a person, but not because He really wants to? What if he's just patiently putting up with me and would secretly be glad if I vanished off the face of the earth?"

Perhaps you don't think these sort of things in the most secret, darkest, innermost part of your mind. In that case, this devotion is not for you. But if you have ever thought this way—Isaiah gives us a glimpse of Jesus' mind toward us—how He thought of us when He was walking toward the cross, and how He still thinks of us now that His suffering, death and resurrection are all accomplished.

And this is what Isaiah says: "Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush Him; He has put Him to grief; when His soul makes an offering for guilt, He shall see His offspring; He shall prolong His days; the will of the Lord shall prosper in His hand. Out of the anguish of His soul He shall see and be satisfied" (Isaiah 53:10-11).

"He shall see and be satisfied"—with what? With you! You are the fruit of His cross. When He looks at you, He sees His offspring—the child He has given life to. You are the result of the anguish of His soul. And He is satisfied.

This is why you don't ever have to be afraid that God is secretly disappointed in you. He has told you already what His mind is toward you. He thought you worth the cross. And He will never change His mind.

THE PRAYER: Lord, I'm so glad that You're satisfied with having me. Keep me always with You. Amen.

REFLECTION QUESTIONS:

• Whose opinion of you means the most in your life? Name one or two people.

• Have you ever tried to please someone, only to find out that you were never good enough? What did you do in the end?

• What does it mean to you, knowing that God saved you because He wants you, not because He felt obliged to do it for some reason?

Lenten Devotions were written by Dr. Kari Vo. Use these devotions in your newsletter and bulletin! Used by permission; all rights reserved by the Int'l LLL (LHM).
Have you ever tried to please someone, only to find out that you were never good enough?