Happy Easter, friends, and welcome to another year’s Good Friday edition of The Gospel According to! This week, I was reflecting on the events of Holy Week and the price that Jesus paid for our salvation… Which somehow led me to a Hunger Games quote?! Find out below, plus stay tuned for a free printable!
The Verses: Isaiah 53-54
If you’ve attended any number of Easter/Palm Sunday/Good Friday church services, you may be familiar with the “Suffering Servant” passage in Isaiah 53:
Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned–every one–to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.
Isaiah 53:4-6 ESV
This is a very common set of verses that tends to pop up around this time of year, and for good reason. It’s one of the best/most poetic descriptions of what Jesus went through on the cross, and the fact that His suffering was directly related to our rebellion. BUT have you ever looked at the chapter right AFTER it at the same time?!
For a brief moment I deserted you, but with great compassion I will gather you. In overflowing anger for a moment I hid my face from you, but with everlasting love I will have compassion on you,” says the LORD, your Redeemer. “This is like the days of Noah to me: as I swore that the waters of Noah should no more go over the earth, so I have sworn that I will not be angry with you, and will not rebuke you. For the mountains may depart and the hills be removed, but my steadfast love shall not depart from you, and my covenant of peace shall not be removed,” says the LORD, who has compassion on you.
Isaiah 54:7-10 ESV
As I was reflecting on Holy Week and Good Friday, I was thinking about the verses in Isaiah 53… and then something (Holy Spirit maybe) told me to read chapter 54. And my mind was BLOWN!! It’s amazing to me the number of times that God points out our sinfulness in graphic poetic detail in one breath, then turns around and gives an equally vivid picture of His love and redemption in the next. SO COOL!!!
Love the Hunger Games series like I do? You’ll 🔥😻🤩 these posts!
- THG: Only hope is stronger than fear.
- THG: Mockingjay Armor (of God)
- THG: Radiant as the sun.
- THG: No one can help but admire your spirit.
Cheers!
The fandom: Catching Fire and Everlark 🧡💚💖
So of course as I was thinking about this passage that I’ve read many times before, something else that I’ve consumed ad nauseum popped into my head: The Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins. In particular, this one scene (not for sure if it’s in the book or just the movie) where Katniss approaches Haymitch after the second Quarter Quell is announced. She’s come to beg for Peeta’s life, and Haymitch points out the selflessness of their mutual ally with this piece of dialogue:
[Haymitch] What does it say that Peeta was in here five minutes ago begging to save your life and you only just now show up?
[Katniss] It means we have to save him.
[Haymitch] You could live a hundred lifetimes and never deserve that boy.
The Hunger Games: Catching Fire
Then this piece of fictional relationship that lives in my head rent free began to resemble the Bible passage I was studying, and this is the result:
Journal and Bible Pages
Free printable!!!
I hope you’ve enjoyed seeing a little of my daily Bible journaling/fangirling process. As a reward for donating your valuable time to read this post, I’d like to offer you a free printable! This is a set of stickers and Scripture prompts that I created to use in the Bible/journal pages you saw above. Click the image below to download all three pages for yourself!
You can also get your very own fangirl-focused daily devotional/prayer/Bible study journal on Amazon here!!
Happy fangirling!
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