“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 52:1-2)

Who do you know that feels worthless? Do you? The people of Judah that Isaiah preached to must have felt worthless. They had been assaulted and oppressed by the Assyrians, the Babylonians and almost every other nation around. They had been beaten and enslaved. Such treatment would make most of us feel worthless in the eyes of both man and God. Perhaps they realized that their chastisement was due to God’s judgment of their sin. And Yet the Lord lifted them up! He promised to send them the Messiah who would return them to their homeland in a new Exodus.

Many Christian people wrestle with feelings of worthlessness. I grew up feeling worthless and full of shame. That is because I was reminded by family, friends and the clergy in my church 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. Even then, 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.

Then one day I heard the Good News: I had peace with God. 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. How can we help others to feel worthy? How can we help others experience God’s love and mercy? We must remember that we are sinners secure in God’s love by the love of Jesus and then tell others thIs good news. We are all sinners saved by grace.