When Scripture Becomes a Practical Matter

For several days now I have carried Isaiah 53 in my heart and mind. Interestingly enough, I am now only as far as the Psalms with my annual read through scripture. Meanwhile Isaiah's words have become a distraction from my daily devotions! When that occurs, I am compelled to meditate upon those thoughts.

If you are not familiar with these key Messianic verses, which along with Psalm 22 best detail the act and purpose of Christ's Crucifixion, you might want to take a moment to read.

These verses and the love demonstrated by God's submission to the cruel tree are foundational to Christianity. Yes, I believe that Jesus was God become flesh!

In brief, he was wounded for my transgressions, bruised for my iniquities, the provision for my peace was placed upon Him and by his stripes I am healed!

I would say that fairly well covers the bounty of human need and surely with that, the capacity to prosper if one so chooses.

All this first came to my mind last Fall when my wife fell and broke her hip. That typically is the onset of woes as any couple ages.

Upon x-ray confirmation, her bone density assessment data, she should have experienced a long and cautious recovery, if at all. That recovery of necessity only by way of hard physical therapy and repeated drug injections, if walking at all would be in her future.

She wept at the physician's diagnosis, not out of fear, but the thought of an approaching Christmas season. After all she is the Christmas Queen, with at one point five live trees decorated in our home. Now with two grandchildren who also love Christmas, what would she do? Well, we purchased an eleven foot inflatable Tree and celebrated Christmas 2022 anyway! Dare I mention the added woes of COVID?

To make a long story short, its August 2023 and we just finished a long brisk walk around Blowing Rock, after a day that saw her cross the Mile High Bridge at Grandfather Mountain, to include navigating the rocky ravine on the other side. She'll make a believer out of anybody.

Enough of my boasting in the Lord about the wife I was given!

My reason for posting, beyond my brief moment of praise, were the thoughts of how over time as one ages, the application of such scriptures becomes more challenging, our iniquities more glaring, as past transgressions resurface with a body far more vulnerable.

Yes, we are human and trust me, all those moments resurfaced in the story above!

Yes there were days in our youth when there were no aches, bone density concerns, heart valve repairs, demise of liver function and life came rather easy.

Now, on the down side of "three score and ten" it's not so easy to get passed that negative third brain (gut, heart, head) in order to fully appropriate a faith that knows that the Word of God is true and unchanging. A deep in the bones conviction that God is the same yesterday, today and forever becomes quite necessary!

Thus the practicality of scripture, when one fully aligns their life's journey with the Word, as opposed to simply an occasional quick reading of the text.

I even doubt that I would be writing this were it not for the years of seeing the hand of God in our lives, healings, blessings and the "all things work together for good" moments when a failure or physical ailment should have taken life South! Yet we have survived.

My long winded point is that serving God when you're younger develops a mental muscle memory that comes in handy as one ages. Scriptural alignment, moral integrity, generosity, and yes, physical stewardship of one's body pays great returns.

The last one is most difficult for me, as I love to eat!

When we stumble, verses such as Isaiah 53:4-6 come into play. God has your back and is with you "to the white hairs". Yes, I was young and now I am old, leaning more heavily into such words as "I have never seen the righteousness forsaken, nor his seed out begging bread."

Jump into this journey while you are young, regardless of what may come your way, nor who may fall or fail around you, God has a plan for your "piece" of God, one that passes your understanding.

You can take that to the bank or to the physician's office!

Selah!