The Lord who gives peace to the afflicted heart

"He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth" (Isaiah 53:7).

I was afflicted.  My heart was painful and heavy.  Whenever I think of her whom I love in the Lord, I was very stressed and I had a sour stomach.  It was painful for me to see her suffering so much.  I didn’t know what to do and how to help her so I prayed for her.  But even while I was praying for her, my heart continued to be heavy and painful.  Sometimes it was so hard to see her going through painful moments of her life.  And I had the urge to avoid her.  Although I knew in my head that she was the one who was suffering the most, but my heart was so painful that I even had a selfish idea of avoiding her.  I even thought that she could die.  I lived day by day without knowing when the Lord would rescue her and give me peace.

Then one day as I was driving to the place where I exercise, I heard a pastor's sermon from the Christian radio station in the car.  When I heard it, I asked myself these questions: 'Do I really trust in God?', 'Maybe I am not casting all my heavy burden to God?', ‘Maybe I am seeking my own will instead of God’s will?'  Having asked these questions to myself as I was driving toward the exercise place, when I arrived there and was exercising the Holy Spirit reminded me of 1 Peter 5:7 – “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.”  So I grabbed this word and prayed to God in my heart.  I sought God's help.  I asked God to help me to case all my anxiety and heavy burden on the Lord entirely.  Then I proclaimed to my own soul, saying: 'O James, cast all your burdens to the Lord.  Why don’t you cast all your burden to the Lord?  Why are you still worried and anxious?’  I confessed my weakness in my faith to God and asked him to have mercy on me and strengthen my faith.  Although I was kept on praying to God, my heart was still without peace and was constantly heavy, hard, and tense.  Then, on Saturday, in order to prepare Sunday sermons for English Ministry, I read and meditated on the 1 Peter 5:7 in English.  As I was doing so, I read and meditated on the context of 1 Peter 5:7 too.  As I was doing so, the verse 10 came to my mind: “…  after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.”  The Holy Spirit gave me faith and hope through this Word that the one whom I love would suffer a little while and after suffering God would restore her.  Also the Holy Spirit made me to believe, hope and expect that God would make her strong and firm and steadfast.  At that time I was strengthened by the Word of 1 Peter 5:10.  And I remembered what I preached before: “for now we really live, if you stand firm in the Lord” (1 Thess. 3:8).  From that time on, I felt better.  I was able to breathe better.  Then as I was proclaiming the word of God based on 1 Peter 5: 7, 10 in the Sunday worship service, I began to expect more and became more hopeful in my heart.  And gradually, heaviness and bitterness disappeared in my heart and peace began to come in.

In Isaiah 53:7, Prophet Isaiah prophesied that the Messiah would be oppressed and afflicted, yet He would not open His mouth.  Also he prophesied that the Messiah would be led like a lamb to the slaughter, “and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth.”  According to this prophecy of Isaiah, Jesus Christ (“Messiah”) answered Herod nothing when He was questioned by Herod (Lk. 23:9).  Why did Jesus Christ remain silent?  If Jesus was silent when he was oppressed and afflicted, shouldn’t we be silent also when we are suffering?  What is the reason?  The reason is to listen to the voice of the Lord in silence when we are suffering and troubled.  In other words, when we are troubled, we need to be quiet in order to hear the Lord's voice.  Though we have a urge to speak this and that not only to those close to us but even to the Lord when we are suffering and troubled, we must overcome that impulse and listen to the word of God in silence.  We must be quiet and trust in God (Isa. 30:15).  In doing so, we will be strengthen and will receive salvation (v. 15).  I think that Jesus Christ suffered all kinds of suffering and was silent first for the fulfillment of the prophecy of Isaiah 53:7, and secondly to hear the voice of God the Father in silence, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased" (Mt. 3:17).  I think Jesus obeyed His Father in Heaven to the death on the cross (Phil. 2:8) because of our transgressions and iniquities (Isa. 53:5) as His beloved and well pleased Son as He quietly looked to His Father.  As a result, we have peace and we are healed (Isa. 53:5).

It is easy for us to sin with our lips if we open our mouths when we are afflicted and hard (v. 9).  We can not only blame on people but also blame on God (Job 1:22).  Thus, we need to be quiet when we are afflicted and hard.  We must be strengthen by quietly trusting God (Isa. 30:15).  We must obtain the strength to withstand the pain and suffering so that we may faithfully be able to fulfill the mission that the Lord gave to each one of us even in any painful and suffering situation.  We must obey the Lord until death as we look upon the Lord who gives peace to our troubled heart.  Therefore, we can hear the voice of God saying, ‘This is my child, whom I love; with him I am well pleased’ (Mt. 3:17).