Posted on

Always hope…. (devo reflection)

Isaiah 16:4b …The oppressor will come to an end….
Psalm 71:14 comes to mind as I write today’s reflection: “As for me, I will always have hope; I will praise you more and more.” I am no Bible scholar. I’m just an ordinary person, trying to draw closer to my Savior. I get it wrong on a daily basis, but my reflections draw me closer to God, and I’m certain He understands my heart.
Isaiah 16:4c …and destruction will cease; the aggressor will vanish from the land.
This section, to me, speaks of hope: the end of oppression, the coming of a loving, just authority. Again, to me, it seems to counterbalance the rage, wrath, and destruction of other verses. It is light in the darkness, hope, a way forward.
Isaiah 16:5a In love a throne will be established….
Lord, Thank You for this day and this scripture. Thank You for hope and for undeserved second chances. Thank You for Your fierce love and deep compassion for Your people. Draw me closer. Amen.
Isaiah 16:5b …in faithfulness a man will sit on it—one from the house of David—one who in judging seeks justice and speeds the cause of righteousness.
Have a blessed day.
Posted on

Clinging to hope…. (devo reflection)

Isaiah 15:1 A prophecy against Moab: Ar in Moab is ruined, destroyed in a night! Kir in Moab is ruined, destroyed in a night!

We are back to destruction today, to retribution. The wording leads us to see this action as the result of the actions of the people of Moab instead of the vengeful God that has been present in the last few chapters.

Isaiah 15:3 In the streets they wear sackcloth; on the roofs and in the public squares they all wail, prostrate with weeping.

But yesterday’s pondering also helps me to see the choice, the possibility, God’s hope that His people will make the right choice and turn back to Him. I choose to cling to that hope, that possibility.

Isaiah 15:5a My heart cries out over Moab; her fugitives flee as far as Zoar, as far as Eglath Shelishiyah….

Lord, Thank You for this day and this scripture. Thank You for the hope of grace, mercy, and second chances. We don’t deserve them. We cannot earn them. But I am so incredibly grateful for them and for Your fierce love. Draw me closer. Amen.

Isaiah 15:5b …They go up the hill to Luhith, weeping as they go; on the road to Horonaim they lament their destruction.

Have a blessed day.

Posted on

A startling and beautiful revelation…. (devo reflection)

Isaiah 14:27 For the LORD Almighty has purposed, and who can thwart him? His hand is stretched out, and who can turn it back? (NIV)
A quick Google search turned up two examples of when God changed His mind. In Genesis 18, after Abraham pleads with Him, He says that He will not destroy Sodom if there are even ten good people there (Gen 18:32). And in Jonah 3, Jonah’s warnings (sent as a direct message from God), caused the people to turn from their evil ways, and “He relented and did not bring on them the destruction He had threatened” (Jonah 3:10).
Isaiah 14:27 The LORD of Heaven’s Armies has spoken— who can change his plans? When his hand is raised, who can stop him?” (NLT)
These examples paint a stark contrast to the wrathful, angry God of yesterday’s scripture. This is a God of mercy, a God who would rather see change and repentance than destruction. For me, this is a startling and beautiful revelation on the heels of yesterday’s descriptions of anger and wrath.
Isaiah 14:27 For the LORD of armies has planned, and who can frustrate it? And as for His stretched-out hand, who can turn it back?” (NASB)
Lord, Thank You for this day and this scripture. Thank You for Your presence, Your wisdom, and Your mercy. Thank You for helping me to uncover layers of Your personality as I study Your word. Draw me closer. Always. Amen.
Isaiah 14:27 I, the LORD All-Powerful, have made these plans. No one can stop me now! (CEV)
Have a blessed day.
Posted on

A cruel day, with wrath and fierce anger…. (devo reflection)

Isaiah 13:3 I have commanded those I prepared for battle; I have summoned my warriors to carry out my wrath—those who rejoice in my triumph.
This is the God of hellfire and damnation, a God who is to be feared and not crossed. This is the God with so much anger and rage against humanity that it has to be emptied into a sacrifice, His Son, so it isn’t unleashed on humanity.
Isaiah 13:4 Listen, a noise on the mountains, like that of a great multitude! Listen, an uproar among the kingdoms, like nations massing together! The Lord Almighty is mustering an army for war.
I have a difficult time with this God. I struggle with a God who is so angry He must destroy something, anything, in order to channel that anger, who would sacrifice His own Son to His rage.
Isaiah 13:9 See, the day of the Lord is coming—a cruel day, with wrath and fierce anger—to make the land desolate and destroy the sinners within it.
Lord, I know that You are here in my struggle. I know Your word was not created to make perfect sense to me but to help me draw closer to You. You know I struggle with the God of wrath persona. You also know I love You deeply. Help me to draw closer to You, even now, even as I struggle with these passages. Draw me closer. Amen.
Isaiah 13:11 I will punish the world for its evil, the wicked for their sins. I will put an end to the arrogance of the haughty and will humble the pride of the ruthless.
Have a blessed day.
Posted on

Progress…. (devo reflection)

Isaiah 12:2a “Surely God is my salvation….
This verse resonates because it is one with which I struggle—trusting and not being afraid particularly. But slowly, ever so slowly, I feel that I am making progress in the right direction.
Isaiah 12:2b …I will trust and not be afraid….
I am learning to let go of the need to be in control, learning to trust that God loves my people more than I ever could, that He can move in their lives just as He does in mine, learning to respond when He nudges and to praise Him always. There is no magic transformation, but ever so slowly, there IS progress. Thank You, Jesus.
Isaiah 12:2c …The Lord, the Lord himself, is my strength and my defense….
Lord, Thank You for this day and this scripture. Thank You for the progress You have made with me in the area of trust. Thank You for being my strength and my defense, my salvation. Thank You for the ability to trust You and not be afraid. Draw me closer. Amen.
Isaiah 12:2d …He has become my salvation.”
Have a blessed day.
Posted on

A little child will lead them…. (devo reflection)

Isaiah 11:6 The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together; and a little child will lead them.
I’m feeling a little tender today, a little defeated, though I know I shouldn’t. This section brings me comfort as I know that God has a plan, He is in control, and He can work all things to my good and His glory. This is the truth I will cling to.
Isaiah 11:7 The cow will feed with the bear, their young will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox.
These verses show life out of its normal order. To me, they show hope and possibility at a time when I definitely need both. God can turn the whole world on its ear. He can reorder the natural order. I don’t have to be able to understand how or why (though I desperately want understanding). I just have to trust. I choose to trust in Him.
Isaiah 11:8 The infant will play near the cobra’s den, and the young child will put its hand into the viper’s nest.
Lord, Thank You for this day and this scripture. Thank You for giving me hope this morning and for the reminder that You have all things firmly in hand. Thank You for knowing my heart. Draw me closer. Always. Amen.
Isaiah 11:9 They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain, for the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.
Have a blessed day.
Posted on

Encouragement to trust…. (devo reflection)

Isaiah 10:13 …“ ‘By the strength of my hand I have done this, and by my wisdom, because I have understanding.”…
The verses I have pulled for today’s reflection all tie back to my daily, hourly quest to understand. I remember, vividly, the spring of 2017, a defining time in my spiritual life. The dominoes just kept falling, one after another after another, and I felt crushed under the weight.
Isaiah 10:20 In that day the remnant of Israel, the survivors of Jacob, will no longer rely on him who struck them down but will truly rely on the Lord, the Holy One of Israel.
The verses here give a look at the bigger plan of God. I do not think those events were God’s wrath against me, but just like in this scripture, I felt God telling me through it all to hold tight to Him, that He hadn’t abandoned me, that He loved me fiercely, that He was working to turn my ashes into His beauty.
Isaiah 10:25 Very soon my anger against you will end and my wrath will be directed to their destruction.”
Lord, Thank You for this day and this scripture. Thank You for Your encouragement when life if closing in. Thank You for taking the ashes of our lives and turning them into Your beauty. Thank You for the reminder and encouragement to trust You, even when I don’t understand. Draw me closer. Amen.
Isaiah 10: 27 In that day their burden will be lifted from your shoulders, their yoke from your neck; the yoke will be broken….
Have a blessed day.
Posted on

Wonderful! Counselor!… (devo reflection)

Isaiah 9:6a For to us a child is born….
When I read this verse, I hear a Christmas choir singing this song in my head. It’s beautiful, light, and hopeful. Focusing on the last bit of the verse specifically, I found it interesting that some translations separate Wonderful and Counselor with a comma, though most do not.
Isaiah 9:6b …to us a son is given….
What’s the difference? The difference is—You are wonderful. Full stop. You are Counselor. Full stop.— and you are Wonderful Counselor. (Imagine my Christmas choir belting out each descriptor, and it becomes even more powerful.) Semantically, if parallel structure is in play, Wonderful Counselor goes together (to mirror the other adjective-noun pairs), but when I think of my Jesus, I’m going to continue to hear my Christmas choir describing Him as Wonderful! Counselor! Thank You, Jesus.
Isaiah 9:6c …and the government will be on his shoulders….
Lord, Thank You for this day and this scripture. Thank You that I see You, acknowledge You, and love You in my life as Wonderful. Help me to draw closer to You every day. Amen.
Isaiah 9:6d …And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Have a blessed day.
Posted on

And I will wait…. (devo reflection)

Isaiah 8:17 I will wait for the LORD, who is hiding his face from the descendants of Jacob. I will put my trust in him. (NIV)
I have always read this verse as waiting FOR the LORD, like you wait for another person, waiting for His timing or His signal. When He’s ready, I will be ready. Until then, I wait. Commentary discussed waiting ON the LORD and compared it to a waiter waiting on a customer, active, alive, dynamic. The two ideas are very different.
Isaiah 8:17 And I will wait on the LORD, Who hides His face from the house of Jacob; And I will hope in Him. (NKJV)
I’m a “right answers” kind of person but a “show me your thinking” kind of teacher, and I think there might be room for both here. If my goal is to draw closer to God, exploring nuances in wording can surely help with that.
Isaiah 8:17 I will wait for the LORD, who hides his face from the descendants of Jacob. I will hope in him. (GWT)
Lord, Thank You for this day and this scripture. Thank You for the ability to explore nuances in wording and to draw closer to You through the exploration. Help me always to draw closer to You. Amen.
Isaiah 8:17 I will wait for the LORD, who hides his face from the house of Jacob, and I will trust in him. (NHEB)
Have a blessed day.
Posted on

God with us…. (devo reflection)

Isaiah 7:14 All right then, the Lord himself will give you the sign. Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel (which means ‘God is with us’). (NLT)
I was surprised to find that only three translations of Isaiah 7:14 included the words “God with us”. To me, that’s the most important part. The Old Testament God seems an angry, distant, vengeful God. The New Testament God, personified in His Son Jesus, died and rose again. He was here, but He has now taken His rightful place in Heaven at God’s right hand.
Isaiah 7:14 Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Listen carefully, the virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and she will call his name Immanuel (God with us). (AB)
Turns out that Matthew 1:23 parallels Isaiah 7:14 exactly, with one crucial distinction—the inclusion of “God with us” in every translation of the verse. And that’s what I need in this life—God with us, present, available, fiercely loving. I need a God who shows up, who shows His presence in the breathtaking beauty of the ordinary, in the porch fellowship with a friend, in the shape of a heart on a rotting gourd. Immanuel. God with us. Always.
Isaiah 7:14 So the Lord himself will give you this sign: A virgin will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and she will name him Immanuel [God Is With Us]. (GWT)
Lord, Thank You for this day and this scripture. Thank You for being God with us, close enough to whisper to our hearts, willingly opening the eyes of our hearts to Your presence if we only ask. Thank You for this journey through Your word and for drawing me closer every day. Help me to shine Your light for all. Amen.
Isaiah 7:14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel. (NIV)
Have a blessed day.