Isaiah 53:10-12 -- On Pain and the Plan

"Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand.
He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.
Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors."
Isaiah 53:10-12


This is a prophecy of Christ in Isaiah, and I think it is interesting that it says that "it pleased the Lord to bruise him." It sounds kind of mean, but I think it points to God's different perspective on all of life. Christ death was both a tragedy and a triumph. Christ asked for the cup to pass, and God held firm, asking Christ to drink it, and he did. It was a tragedy because of lost years of life that Christ could have spent with his friends and disciples, but it was also a triumph, as Christ overcame death so we could all be resurrected, and also suffered for our sins, to gave us the time to improve spiritually before being judged. Because of him, we all have guaranteed physical immortality, and a good shot at spiritual eternal life as well, if we learn and allow God to help us change for the better.

I would submit that our lives also contain some things that seem like tragedies that are also triumphs. When people die, they are going to a much better place. We often just say that, I know... but it is also true. God sees the pattern, and knows the timing of everything. He'll deliver us from some trials, and others we have to endure, but all of it is part of the larger plan, and God is pleased with it, not because he is happy about any individual tragedy, but because his plan--all of this around us--this is the way to give everyone the best chance at eternal joy. If we choose to, we can reach out for it by turning to God and following his commandments. That is the way.

Today, let's turn to God and follow his plan. It isn't always fun in the moment, but it *definitely* leads to long-term, eternal joy.