Never Considered

Isaiah 53: Who has believed our message
    and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?
² He grew up before him like a tender shoot,
    and like a root out of dry ground.
He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him,
    nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.
³ He was despised and rejected by mankind,
    a man of suffering, and familiar with pain.
Like one from whom people hide their faces
    he was despised, and we held him in low esteem.

⁴ Surely he took up our pain
    and bore our suffering,
yet we considered him punished by God,
    stricken by him, and afflicted.
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.
⁶ We all, like sheep, have gone astray,
    each of us has turned to our own way;
and the Lord has laid on him
    the iniquity of us all.

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Tired of struggling, I just sat. Bills were greater than pay, car was not working and my grades were suffering. I was exhausted from trying hard and not getting anywhere. Could someone just reach out their arms and pick me up like a little baby?

• Sometimes life has brought me tough times.
• Sometimes life has delivered to me trials.
• Sometimes life has given me prolonged pain that I cannot think my way out of.

I had no idea where to turn or what to do, then something inside said “Pray.” This did not make sense. I had not prayed in a while nor had I considered it effective. I mean could I just pray for X amount of money and get it? I had never seen anyone do that and have it work for them. I prayed “Help me! I don’t know what to do.” I felt peace to keep going.

• JESUS has no beauty or majesty to attract me to HIM.
• JESUS has nothing in HIS appearance for me to desire HIM.
• JESUS was despised and held with low esteem so I did not consider HIM.

I considered the lottery. I considered selling my stuff to get out of bills, but I did not consider JESUS as being an answer to day to day problems. Yeah HE saved me but did HE care about the debt collector calling me? HE led me beside still waters that day. HE said “Keep going” so I did. I truly cannot remember how I was delivered, but I was.

With bills paid and car fixed, I graduated and moved onto another phase of my life. I sought after GOD from then to now. HE has never failed me.

• Are you trying things on your own?
• Do you feel like you have ot do thing under your own power?
• Can you stop trying to carry the load and allow GOD to help you?
• Will you believe that no matter what you have done in the past, you are forgiven by JESUS who took your punishment for you?