All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, every one, to his own way; and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.
Isaiah 53:6
When the young Englishman read the first part of this Bible verse to his terminally ill compatriot in the barn in Australia, the latter exclaimed, “This is me, this is myself! That’s what I’ve been doing all my life.” Then they were both silent. After a while, the sick man asked his new companion to continue reading.
“The Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.” “Ah,” he said again, “Jesus Christ!” “Read the verse again!” he asked after some time. Thereupon the young man finished reading the whole chapter. The sick man had reclined in the straw and was listening quietly.
The next morning the sun was shining in through the gaps in the boards when the young Englishman awoke. He looked around at his sick compatriot and had to marvel at the sight of him. He seemed to have become quite another person, so peacefully did he look at him. “The Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all,” said the sick man. “Jesus Christ is now my Saviour too.” And then he explained how he had confessed his sins to God that night and found forgiveness through faith in the Lord Jesus.
“The man has gone mad!” the younger man thought at first. But he was able to observe how this peace lasted until the sick man died a few days later. When he spoke about it later, he added, “It took a long time for the experience in the Australian bush to bring me, too, to find Jesus as my Lord. But God’s grace has not let me go.”
(concluded)
Today’s reading: 1 Samuel 26:13-25 · Philippians 4:8-14
https://gbv-online.org/calendar/262/date/2024-06-18
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Updated:2024-05-26