Justified

“Behold, the Lord God helps me; who will declare me guilty?” (Isaiah 50:9)

Look at the late summer flowers waving in the sun, like peasants desperate to catch a king’s attention.  Beneath them grow the stubborn roots of a thousand trees, a hardened defense to any wind that might topple them, and beyond the shores on which they grow, fish frenetically multiply by the thousands, as if they don’t quite trust themselves to live.  Listen to your friend as he tells, yet again, the long story of why he did what he did; witness the stones that won’t budge; ponder the insects that race to build their tiny civilizations—look at that whole sweep of creation, and learn the truth:

The whole world is arguing for its right to exist, as though it senses, deep down, that it doesn’t quite deserve it.

What God’s creative Spirit has written into nature’s cryptic hieroglyphs, He affirms through the prophets: the whole creation has been subjected to frustration, cast under the accusation, “You shall surely die!” But what nature cannot preach, and what the prophets longed to see, His beloved Son has now made known: “This is my blood for the forgiveness of sins.”  The Lord God has come into your flesh through Jesus and visited you in your sin and death.  By doing so, He has promised to you what you don’t deserve: life!  He has justified your existence by His own.

Who could ever declare you guilty?

LET US PRAY: Dear God!  What wonders are found in that blood of Your Son!  Was it really for me?  For me?  Dear God, You are dear, indeed!  Thank You!

Pastor Steven K. Gjerde

Zion, Wausau