Today’s author is Prince of Peace member Anne Haugan
According to Halley’s Bible Handbook this scripture is one of the best loved chapters in all the Bible. It is a picture of the Suffering Savior. It is almost like Isaiah is standing at the foot of the cross. He speaks of Jesus’ last days on Earth in the past tense as if it had come to pass. However, it was written seven centuries before Calvary. Jesus would fulfill all that the prophets had foretold. His Holy Spirit can fill us with compassion and strength to love and serve others in His Holy name.
Everyone has a gift to share. The Lord declares, “For I know the plans I have for you.” (Jeremiah 29:11) – some are called to be preachers, teachers, prophets, etc. Some are called to be missionaries.
When I think of ‘suffering servant’, I think of people who have been or are missionaries. Gus’ parents were missionaries to the Chinese people in the Henan Province from 1914 – 1929. Grandma Haugan, a new bride, bore six children while Grampa Haugan was building a church in a small village of Luoshan and preaching the Gospel. In 1929 the Lutheran Board of World Missions called home the missionary families because of a dangerous conflict between the local War Lords.
Prince of Peace is currently sponsoring two missionaries: Naomi Sveom in Slovakia and Julia and Vincent Leeyoole in the Samburu Region, a nomadic tribe in West Kenya, where 98% of the people do not read nor write. The Kenyan government requires religious education be taught. Julia and Vincent have established the Mobile Discipleship Training Program and travel in a land-cruiser truck that gets a real beating on the bush roads. They use solar-powered radio with a built-in flashlight to bring stories and scripture from the Bible and work in groups of 15 – 50 by day and by night. Julia writes that the thirst for hearing and understanding Jesus is unquenchable and that the Gospel is changing lives. Typical homesteads are made up of several families and can be dismantled and moved by donkeys to a new location through the mountains or to a sprawling desert. The women often meet for study, prayer and listening groups in the afternoon while the men warriors shepherd camels by day and gather in the evening to listen to the Gospel. Vincent, a local Kenyan, is the interpreter. Prince of Peace is contributing support for Julia and Vincent through the Kenyan Outreach of the World Missionary Prayer League located in Minneapolis.
In the life and work of Jesus we are shown suffering as a way of life. Jesus lives out the life of the suffering servant as written in Isaiah 53. His suffering is because of the hatred of sinful people.
O Good and Gracious God, it is with thankfulness that there are servants of Christ, missionaries, and even YOU and I, who bring Jesus and His love to many parts of the world. Because Christ lived we are changed and charged to bring life and light into a darkening world. May you experience Jesus’ Presence and Peace today and always.