Isaiah 53:10...Otherwise Entitled: Prolong His Days

*NOTE TO THE READER: This particular post is not a required one for my Book of Mormon class - I've decided that I kinda like blogging. So I said to myself: "Sam, you are your own man - it's your blog, you can write a post whenevs you want to." And so that's what I've decided to do. Be warned, though: Another blog will be coming later this week in conjunction with my religion class.
Don't say I didn't warn you.....

I am the kind of guy who enjoys to ramble (You'll hopefully notice that the word 'ramble' is cleverly hidden in the web address of this here blog). Get me started on a subject I love to talk about, and I'll ramble for hours. A prime example of that: Stars. Far above us, below us, around us, millions and billions and trillions of miles away, are so many stars. Enormous balls of fiery gas and elemental reactions, powered by energy that scientists can only dream of. The mysteries that stars hold and the distances that are required to be traveled in order to reach said mysteries are so mind-boggling to me! And that's partly what makes them so very fascinating in my mind!
I've found that this is the case with a lot of things. When I don't understand a question or concept, I will either do one of two things: A) I will reject it and walk away from it because I am disinterested and without understanding (my math scores from high school should prove this point quite accurately); or 2) I will spend an excessive amount of time researching and studying out the problem so that I can finally come to a conclusion that fits.
For almost all of my life there has been one such problem that I have studied and pondered and thought about. I have received various answers pertaining to it, but never anything that can truly explain all of its mysteries. I feel that my situation reflects every other human being's in regards to this question; no mortal can truly fathom the depths of the answer that has been provided to us by God for this particular query.
The question that I speak of and have pondered many hours upon is that of the Atonement. For those who are unfamiliar with this term, please allow me to elaborate: When our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ entered the Garden of Gethsemane (located on the Mount of Olives outside of the city Jerusalem), He began to atone for the sins of mankind. This Atonement continued from Gethsemane until His triumphant Resurrection, and was the means whereby man can be saved from the deteriorating effects of sin and death. Because of the Atonement, we are ALL guaranteed our respective bodies of flesh and bone in their perfect states at Judgment Day. We will ALL be resurrected. Additionally, when we repent of our sins, are cleansed from iniquity, and follow after the commandments and covenants that God has set in place for us, we are given the opportunity to not only be resurrected, but to become glorified like God, and to become as He is.
This is what the Atonement does for us.
And our beloved Savior performed it for each and every one of us! It is both a collective gift of salvation for all of God's children, and a very individual and personal bestowal of eternal life to those who are faithful to the Lord's teachings.
What I've just explained are the basic teachings and principles of the Atonement (if you would like more information, I suggest talking with the missionaries of the LDS Church, or with an ecclesiastical leader of that faith - they will be more than happy to answer the questions you may have! I also apologize if my explanation was somewhat hard to understand; I tried to make it clear, but sometimes that only complicates things :) .
As I said, I've studied about the Atonement for most of my life, as has almost every other Christian on the face of the planet. However, in a recent religion class I had an interesting lesson that made me ponder about the Atonement in a totally new light.
My professor was discussing the 53rd chapter of Isaiah, and quoted this verse:
"Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him [Jesus Christ]; he [God the Father] put him [Jesus Christ, His Only Begotten Son] to grief; when thou shalt make his soul [Christ's] an offering for sin, he [Christ] shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand" (KJV Isaiah 53:10).
'Seed' in this context is a reference to 'children'. In the Book of Mormon we receive further insight on the 'seed' of Christ:
"And now, because of the covenant which ye have made ye shall be called the children of Christ, his sons, and his daughters; for behold, this day he hath spiritually begotten you; for ye say that your hearts are changed through faith on his name; therefore, ye are born of him and have become his sons and his daughters" (Mosiah 5:7).
We are all children of our beloved Heavenly Father, to whom we pray. We can additionally be adopted by Christ when we choose to follow Him and covenant with Him. (I know that this is a complex theological discussion in and of itself, just like the Atonement; if you do have questions regarding it, I highly encourage you to talk with the LDS missionaries, or with a bishop or stake president of that faith! :)
My professor here suggested that perhaps, while Christ suffered for our sins at Gethsemane, and maybe even in Roman chains and on Golgotha's cross, He might have '[seen] his seed' or the children of our Heavenly Father that He adopts through the covenant He makes with them. He might have seen those faithful saints and followers who worshiped Him prior to His coming; He might also have seen those of our Heavenly Father's children who had yet to come to earth, and who had yet to have their faith in Christ and His Atonement be tested by the trials and follies of this world.
In other words, He might have seen us.
Now I'd like to make a quick announcement here: What follows is speculation. It is not doctrine, just a possibility. I am not trying to make this canonical or scriptural, and I highly emphasize the fact that the 'for-sure' truth that we have pertaining to the Atonement of Christ can be found in the Holy Scriptures and in the words of living prophets today. I merely offer a speculation, only a speculation - an interesting one at that, though, that offered to me, at least, some very personal insights of my Savior that have helped me to appreciate His Atonement more fully.
Perhaps, as our Savior knelt in Gethsemane, bleeding and atoning for our sins, we each might have had a chance to be with Him. Perhaps, if He knelt at a large rock, gripping its sides as the pain and anguish of his body clenched and contracted His aching muscles, we might have stood on the other side of that rock and looked Him in the eye. Perhaps we would have knelt down on the other side of that altar (for those of you LDS members reading this who have had the experience to attend the temple, this might have a little more of a poignant message for you as well), clasping His tired hands in our own. Maybe we would have looked at Him and said: "Please, Lord, don't stop. Please...do this for me."
And then He might have looked up at us, and, with pain in His voice but hope in His eyes, He would say: "I will, Sam. I love you."
Think of that for a moment. Three of the most powerful words in the English language - I. Love. You. - all combined as a Being of divine authority and power condescended to earth to atone for a mortal and weak mankind. Why would He do something so powerful, so painful, so terrible and great and wonderful and unbearable?
Because He loves us. He loves me. He loves you, whoever you are and whatever circumstances you may be in.
It says in Isaiah 53:10 that "when...he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days." My professor suggested that maybe, in seeing us, those priceless children of God whom He loves so deeply, Christ received the extra measure of strength necessary to go on performing the infinite Atonement that has now set us free from the bands of death and hell.
And yet, we are supposed to "liken all scriptures unto us, that it might be for our profit and learning" (1 Nephi 19:23). It is certainly speculation when I say that mayhaps we had a brief but personal moment with the Savior as He atoned for our sins, and that mayhaps that moment, combined with the trillion others as the rest of God's children stood before Him and pleaded with Him to "do this for me". However, it is not speculation, but a firm testimony that I give now, when I say that when we reverse those tables - when we are suffering through the trials and agonies of life, when the hard times are at their hardest - when we hear or feel His words say to us: "Please...do this for Me"...well, my friends, that is when we must prolong our days. That is when we must call upon our last reserves of strength and courage to persevere through our current trials and tribulations. That is when we must walk but a portion of the hard road that Jesus walked for us. That is when we must call upon the aid of Christ and the miraculous Atonement He made for each of us. That is when we need not suffer alone - that is when we must turn to Christ and let Him help us to "prolong [our] days".
My friends, my brothers and sisters, I don't understand the meaning of many of the difficulties in my own life. Nor do I understand the reasoning behind the heartache and distress that we each are called to go through at some point or another whilst on this earth. All I can say for certain is this: Christ has done it for us. All we have to do now is rely on Him, trust in His knowledge and care, and then act accordingly. With faith, good works, and a hope in His grace, we can have "the pleasure of the Lord...prosper in [our hands]". With a knowledge that the Savior performed an infinite Atonement that can wipe away our sins, that can repeatedly correct the multiple wrongs we shall certainly perform in this life, we can move forward with faith, and hope, and love of God in our hearts.
Let us spread this good news, my friends! Let us spread these glad tidings of great joy! Let us prolong our days for Him, and let us dedicate those days to Him.
May God be with you till we meet again, my dear friends.

Sam