But he lifted up our illnesses,
he carried our pain… (Isaiah 53:4)
I know what to do with that grief. Come with me.
Set your pain in this basket and hold it in front of you. We’re walking up the steps to Jesus’s throne. He looks at what you brought him and a tear plots its course down his cheek. With his hand next to yours on the basket, you share mute sorrow over what lies inside.
“I cannot take this basket away. Not yet. I can carry it with you.” He stares into the distance. “I can foresee the outcome. This tragedy won’t touch you. And I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
The next best thing to having no troubles is assurance that they cannot harm us. We have to endure, for now. We may lose worldly wealth, health, and prestige, but none of these is the real person anyway. The true you, your spirit, flourishes. The waters do not sweep over the real you, the flames do not set your inner heart ablaze. You, are protected.
Who is it that makes these bold promises? It is Jesus, by and for whom all things were created. It is Jesus, the One given all authority in heaven and earth. It is Jesus, who, since the day you gave your life to him, has not stopped watching over you.
“My hand is on our basket. Yes, it’s our basket. Take heart, I am with you.”
Prayer: Lord Jesus, whisper confidence into desperate ears.