1Who has believed our message?
To whom has Yahweh’s arm been revealed?
2For he grew up before him as a tender plant,
and as a root out of dry ground.
He has no good looks or majesty.
When we see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.
3He was despised
and rejected by men,
a man of suffering
and acquainted with disease.
He was despised as one from whom men hide their face;
and we didn’t respect him.
4Surely he has borne our sickness
and carried our suffering;
yet we considered him plagued,
struck by God, and afflicted.
5But he was pierced for our transgressions.
He was crushed for our iniquities.
The punishment that brought our peace was on him;
and by his wounds we are healed.
6All we like sheep have gone astray.
Everyone has turned to his own way;
and Yahweh has laid on him the iniquity of us all.
7He was oppressed,
yet when he was afflicted he didn’t open his mouth.
As a lamb that is led to the slaughter,
and as a sheep that before its shearers is silent,
so he didn’t open his mouth.
8He was taken away by oppression and judgment.
As for his generation,
who considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living
and stricken for the disobedience of my people?
9They made his grave with the wicked,
and with a rich man in his death,
although he had done no violence,
nor was any deceit in his mouth.
10Yet it pleased Yahweh to bruise him.
He has caused him to suffer.
When you make his soul an offering for sin,
he will see his offspring.
He will prolong his days
and Yahweh’s pleasure will prosper in his hand.
11After the suffering of his soul,
he will see the light and be satisfied.
My righteous servant will justify many by the knowledge of himself;
and he will bear their iniquities.
12Therefore I will give him a portion with the great.
He will divide the plunder with the strong,
because he poured out his soul to death
and was counted with the transgressors;
yet he bore the sins of many
and made intercession for the transgressors.
One Lost Sheep
Shepherd Carrying a Lost Lamb
Do you ever feel like you just don’t matter? Do you feel forgotten by others and forgotten by God? At this moment, you may be the one lost sheep. If you are not now, you certainly were at one time. God pursues us relentlessly. He chases us in hopes of delivering us. He wants to deliver us from not only our sin and ourselves, but also from our hurts, habits, and hang-ups. He is the God of deliverance. My father used to say that “God is on KGOD broadcasting 24-7, saying, 'I want a relationship with you.” He is there speaking. If you listen, you can sometimes hear Him. I don’t mean that you must hear him with your ears, but you will hear Him with your heart. Are you listening?
Isaiah 53:6 says,“6 All we like sheep have gone astray. Everyone has turned to his own way; and Yahweh has laid on him the iniquity of us all.” You and I are those lost sheep. And yes, we have turned to our own way. We’ve tried to do it our own way, but it just hasn’t worked out. A fellow pastor of mine likes to say, “We find Him when we finally come to the end of ourselves.” There is much truth in that. We run to and fro, trying to hide our sins and deal with our own hurts, habits, and hangups, but we are not successful. We cannot do it on our own. However, with grace greater than we can understand, He chases us down and finds us. Have you let Him catch you? It’s done when you say, “Yes, Lord, I do. I do believe, and I do receive the glorious grace and deliverance that you’ve given to me. Precious Lord, take this hurt, this thing that has stolen my ability to love and has robbed me of my joy and peace.” He will do it. He is seeking you down because you are the one lost sheep out of the hundred.
As stated, He longs to have a relationship with you. And when you receive Him, there is a grand celebration in heaven. You have let Him find you and help, and healing is on the way. If you’ve experienced this, you know that there is also a grand celebration within your own heart. There is a huge relief. You don’t have to make it on your own. You realize that He is in control. How blessed we are that He is a Good Shepherd who loved us so much that He went to the cross for us, so that you and I might be found. As the old hymn declares, “Amazing grace! How sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me, I once was lost but now I’m found, ‘twas blind but now I see.” We were all blind, but when we come to Him, we are able to see things that we’ve never seen or understood. He found us each and brought us back into the safety and security of His fold. He is willing and most desirous that none should perish.