“Why should I gain from his reward?
I cannot give an answer
But this I know with all my heart
His wounds have paid my ransom.”
How deep
the Father’s love for us – Stuart Townend.
Anyone who attended the Good Friday reflections
led by Bishop Lee of Swindon will have recieved a copy of a 13th century prayer
written by Bonaventura, a Franciscan leader. Having folded it, put it in my
pocket and forgotten about it, this small piece of card somehow made its way to
my bedside cabinet where I recently came across it. I took the time to read
this prayer and as I did my soul yearned to draw closer to God, to grasp in a
deeper way the sacrifice made by Christ by whose wounds I am healed.
Today, I am grateful for the time to reflect on
these prophetic words in Isaiah 53 and am challenged afresh as to how the love
of Christ that led him ‘like a lamb to the slaughter’ informs my attitude
towards each day. I don’t know what is in store for you today, the blessings
you will receive or the challenges you will face, but I invite you to take a
moment to pray this prayer, written centuries ago, and in so doing to choose to
respond to the unfathomable love of our Saviour in all that you say, think and
do throughout today.
O Lord,
Holy Father, show us what kind of man it is who is hanging for our sakes on the
cross, whose suffering causes the rocks themselves to crack and crumble with
compassion, whose death brings the dead back to life.
Let my
heart, crack and crumble at the sight of Him. Let my soul break apart with
compassion for His suffering. Let it be shattered with grief at my sins for
which He dies. And finally let it be softened with devoted love for Him. Amen.
(member of the
congregation)