Isaiah 38:17 (NAS)
"Lo,
for my own welfare I had great bitterness; It is Thou who hast kept my
soul from the pit of nothingness, For Thou hast cast all my sins behind Thy
back.
Isaiah 38:17 (NRSV)
Surely
it was for my welfare that I had great bitterness; but you have held back my
life from the pit of destruction, for you have cast all my sins behind your
back.
Without the Lord, your life
became bitter. Circumstances were hard and harsh. You felt brutalized and
afflicted. Unpleasant and offensive things, causing you great pain, seemed
to dog your steps.
Then the Lord of Peace came,
bringing in His hands, wholeness and completeness for you. Because He had such
great love and longing for you, He breathed a refreshing and new life into your
soul. He took you out of the destructive pit and delivered you from the grave.
He removed everything that had you bowed down and depressed. He has taken away
whatever was wearing you out and using you up. Instead He made it possible
for you to fully enjoy your life.
He took your sin that made
you wrong and unclean, and He cast it away from you. Even the guilt and the
punishment of your sin were thrown behind His back, where He could not see it
or remember it. Now, He has exalted you in triumph. He has lifted and raised
you up.
You now live in peace, the
shalom of God. You are safe and secure. You are whole and sound. You are
restored and rewarded. What was bitter is now sweet through the covenant that
the Lord has made with you.
(Originally
written 8/4/07)
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