He was wounded for our rebellious acts. He was crushed for our sins. He was punished so that we could have peace, and we received healing from his wounds.
Isaiah 53:5 GW

An exchange happened to me last night as I lay in bed. I had been struggling with a situation in my body, trusting that the symptoms would go away. Have you ever done that?

As I lay on my side and began to speak the Word, I saw what I’m sure was Jesus after He was beaten and scourged with the whip. I knew it was Him, but it looked like a form of a man clothed in raw meat. I heard these words in my spirit, “You were never meant to carry this, give it to me.”

At first, I hesitated, unsure if I could add one more thing on Him, but aware that it wasn’t mine to keep, that I had something that was taken away a very long time ago. I began to give/release to Him everything I had going on in my body. I started going through everything seen and unseen, known and unknown, including the excess fat on my body (yes, even that!) and the steam burned hand that was keeping me awake.

I fell asleep and slept for 8 hours. I woke up rested with a distinct feeling that I’m not carrying anything anymore. Free and unencumbered.

Isaiah 53:3-5 MSG “He was looked down on and passed over, a man who suffered, who knew pain firsthand. One look at him, and people turned away. We looked down on him, thought he was scum. But the fact is, it was our pains he carried-our disfigurements, all the things wrong with us. We thought he brought it on himself, that God was punishing him for his own failures. But it was our sins that did that to him, that ripped and tore and crushed him—our sins! He took the punishment, and that made us whole. Through his bruises, we get healed.”

Can’t tell you how many times I’ve read and quoted those verses. Can’t tell you how many plays I’ve been in, movies I’ve watched that demonstrated this very act. But I get it now. The exchange is a timeless act of taking everything in my past, present, and future so I don’t have to carry it ever again.

Every emotional wound, every soul tie, every pain, pressure, or stress I will ever have, I exchange it for His peace, rest, and healing. It’s a now gift, it’s a past gift, and it’s a future gift. I ride on the wings of my Fathers endless love for me, free to do and be what He needs me to be.

Sandy G