The Exchange
by Adam Howard
Content Coordinator, CBN Europe
Featured Articles
This may be unlike any other Easter you have experienced in your life, but I believe that God is still active and still wants to speak.
As we draw closer to Easter, I have been asking the Lord what He would say to us. As I was praying, the word ‘exchange’ began to echo in my ears. He is the God of exchange. We see time and again through the Word of God instances where God takes the tattered things of this earth and replaces them with the riches of heavenly garments.
Have you ever felt overwhelmed by your circumstance? Anxious? Depressed? Fearful? In this time, we are living through right now, I believe God wants to exchange something with us. He wants to take that feeling of anxiety and exchange it for peace. He wants to take your depression and exchange it for joy. He wants to take that feeling of “this is too much right now” and give you rest; rest in the middle of the storm. He will take your fear, drive it out through His love and give you hope.
God takes the tattered things of this earth and replaces them with the riches of heavenly garments.
How can I say that with such confidence? Because if He can do it for me, He can do it for you too. In fact, He has already done the greatest exchange the world has ever seen – over 2000 years ago as He hung upon the cross. For me and for you. In that moment, He exchanged our ashes and gave us beauty instead. He took the sentence that was due us and gave us true freedom. He exchanged our sin for His righteousness, ensuring our place before God the Father was secure.
Isaiah 53 says;
Yet he was the one who carried our sicknesses and endured the torment of our sufferings. We viewed him as one who was being punished for something he himself had done, as one who was struck down by God and brought low. But it was because of our rebellious deeds that he was pierced and because of our sins that he was crushed. He endured the punishment that made us completely whole, and in his wounding we found our healing. (v4-5 TPT)
This great exchange took everything of Jesus and asks one thing of us. Believe. That’s it.
This Easter, Jesus is holding His hands out, with beautiful gifts of hope, freedom, peace and rest. He is asking us to exchange what we hold, the things we carry – fear, uncertainty…even our doubt – and receive the gift He has for us. All it takes is a ‘yes’ within you. Don’t carry the weight for any longer, lay those things down at the foot of the cross. He is ready. He is able. And He is always willing.
Can I pray for you?
Jesus, We come today and we are honest with where we are at. We bring to you our fears; our anxious thoughts; our struggles and storms within. We hand them to you today, Jesus and we ask that you would exchange them for peace; for hope; joy and rest. We remember the incredible story of Easter. We thank you for the greatest exchange of all – the hope of heaven that you bought for us at the cross. Thank you for taking the outcome of our wrong, our sin, upon yourself and opening the way to eternity with you. Thank you, Jesus. Amen.
I hope this has encouraged you today.
