“How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness, who publishes salvation, who says to Zion, ‘Your God reigns.’” (Isaiah 52:7)
Such joyful words were preached by Isaiah to a people who had been utterly disheartened. They had been assaulted and oppressed by the Assyrians, the Babylonians, and almost every other of the nations that surrounded them. Many Jews had been beaten and slaughtered. Many had been enslaved and exiled from the Promised Land. Such abuse, no doubt, made them feel worthless and abandoned by God. Perhaps they realized that their chastisement was due to God’s judgment of their sin.
Who do you know that feels great worthlessness? Many of our fellow brothers and sisters in the Lord do, as much as those in our families, towns, and neighborhoods. I grew up feeling worthless and full of shame. That is because I was reminded by the clergy in the church of my youth that I was no good. They constantly reinforced the idea that God was angry at me because I was a sinner and I had to work hard to be good if I wanted to get to heaven. It was not easy or guaranteed. Try as I might I could never shake my feelings of shame because I knew it was impossible to please God. And that is a great truth which forms the basis of the gospel. We are all sinners, all unrighteous and wicked, all worthless. Many cope with these feelings of worthlessness by numbing the pain with sexual immorality, drug abuse, gluttony, greed, and activities that give them an adrenaline rush. And, sadly, many choose to take their own lives.
Yet the Lord lifted up His people with these thrilling words from Isaiah. He promised to send the Messiah who would grant them eternal peace. And He speaks those words today to us. The day I heard the Good News about Jesus, I no longer felt worthless. God granted me the faith to know that, indeed, I could not earn my way to heaven: it was a gift. Jesus had made me right with God not because I deserved it. I didn’t, but Jesus did. Now I still struggle with these feelings of worthlessness. I know that I will never shake them until I stand before Jesus face to face. But the end has already been decided so I live in that day.
We believers may often feel demoralized by our sense of unworthiness. Yet we have been made worthy by Jesus and so we must accept it as He is faithful who has promised this! We are all sinners saved by grace. We are called to help others realize that Jesus has made them worthy. We we are called to tell others about the mercy and love of God in Christ Jesus alone.