Month: October 2021

Commentary on verse 8 says, “How much defeat we suffer in the Christian life through simply forgetting.” To me, that sentiment feels incredibly relevant to verse 4 as well.

The older I get and the more I seek, the more I am able to see God in my life, the ways He has worked throughout my life, even when I didn’t understand. It is easier (still not easy, mind you), when I remember His provision in earlier times, for me to trust that He is in control when life feels out of control.

Lord, Thank You that when life is chaotic, it is getting easier to trust You when I am able to remember all the times in the past that You have been with me. Forgive me that I still struggle to trust, and thank You that I am finally learning to remember Your goodness and mercy. Amen.

Have a blessed day.

We’ve all heard the expression “The Lord works in mysterious ways.” This chapter in Isaiah, where Isaiah prophesies 200 years in advance about a pagan king who is equipped by God for His purpose, specifically to deliver His people, is one such example of the Lord’s mysterious ways.

But I have found that if I respond to God’s nudges, He works in mysterious ways all the time. I don’t understand why or how, but when God lays a person on my heart and gives me a direction, I try to act without delay, knowing His mysterious ways are at work and He’s calling me to participate.

Lord, Thank You for this day and this  scripture. I do not understand Your ways, but thank You for nudging me in ways that affect other people positively. Thank You for the beautiful mystery that surrounds You and for allowing me to draw closer to You. Amen.

Have a blessed day.

Lord, I feel so inadequate some days to the task of drawing closer to You. I am not a Bible scholar. But I love You so deeply, and I want to know You better. Thank You for knowing my heart.

Lord, Thank You for showing up every morning, for meeting me here, for showing me glimpses of who You are and who You are to me. Thank You for not caring that I am no Bible scholar, for understanding the desire in my heart to know You more.

Lord, Thank You for redemption, grace, and forgiveness, for Your fierce love of me even though I am spectacularly human and fallible. Help me to love others as You love me. Help me to shine Your light for all. Amen.

Have a blessed day.

Isaiah 43 is a favorite of mine. I find much comfort there. In verse 1, God claims us as His own. In verse 2, He reminds us that when tough times come (and they WILL come), that we are not alone, that He is with us, strengthening us, protecting us.

Verse 19, one of my favorites, is an invitation: “See, I am doing a new thing! … Do you not perceive it? I am making a way….” This is an invitation to trust and believe God’s promises, even when all we see are tangled roots and looming trees. He’s already making a way. He’s already begun. It may look nothing like we’d hoped or imagined, but if we just trust and believe, He will show us His glory and goodness, even now.

Lord, I am so humbled and grateful for Your fierce love. I am so thankful for the invitation to trust You. Help me, when I am facing one dead end after another, to trust and believe in Your faithfulness. You are making a way, even now, even through this. Thank You. Amen.

Have a blessed day.

The Old Testament is full of “angry God,” who smites, destroys, strikes down. I have a difficult time with that God, probably because that speaks of retribution and not redemption. My God, the God of my salvation and strength, is much kinder and gentler. He will not break a bruised reed nor snuff out a smoldering wick. He will gently lead the blind along unfamiliar paths. He will not forsake His beloved.

This begs the question: Did God change? Did our cultural view of Him change? Is Jesus the kinder, gentler side of God that the Old Testament rarely sees? I have my theories, but if I were to say, in the words of a popular tune, “Lemme tell you ‘bout my Jesus,” I would definitely share tales of His mercy and grace.

Lord, Thank You for Your mercy and grace, Your compassion to Your people—undeserved, unearned, but so needed. Forgive me when I don’t treat others the way You treat me. Help me to be more merciful and compassionate. Draw me closer. Amen.

Have a blessed day.

Isaiah 41:10 has long been a favorite of mine. I love the comfort and reassurance in this verse. God is my strength. He is my comfort. He is upholding me. Thank You, Jesus.

Isaiah 41:14 is a little disconcerting at first. Calling someone a worm hardly seems a term of endearment, and commentary has a lot to say on the matter, but I wonder if the meaning of this comparison isn’t quite simple. A worm is lowly, undesirable, and without power. And yet….. God still chooses to stand up for “worm Jacob,” to comfort “little Israel,” not because of anything Israel can do or has done but simply because of who they are—God’s beloved. And so it is with us.

Lord, I am weak, tired, powerless, and yet You love me fiercely. The promises of Isaiah 41:10 and 41:13 are just as much mine as Israel’s. Thank You. I don’t deserve it and can never earn it, but I am eternally grateful. Amen.

Have a blessed day.

Lord, I am so grateful that You do not grow tired or weary, that Your understanding is unfathomable. I am exhausted and baffled and struggling to accept where I am as valid while the world tells me to suck it up, that it’s not that bad, that things could be worse.

Lord, Help me to rely on You and You alone as I navigate this current space. You have a plan. Your grace is enough. Your strength is perfected in my weakness.

Lord, Thank You for hearing me, for knowing my heart. I am at the end of my strength, which is actually a good place to be as it allows me to quit trying to do it on my own and to depend on Your strength instead. Draw me closer to You, now and always. Amen.

Have a blessed day.

Once again pride rears its ugly head. Hezekiah’s honest entreaty to the Lord leads God to give him 15 more years of life. The envoy from Babylon comes bearing gifts and well-wishes on his recovery, and Hezekiah is so puffed up that someone of notice takes notice that he shows them every single thing of value in the kingdom—everything—to reinforce the idea that though the country is little, it has value. The Babylonians absolutely took notice.

When Isaiah informs Hezekiah that his eagerness to show off has now made them a target but it will be after Hezekiah’s lifetime, Hezekiah’s only thought is that at least “There will be peace and security in my lifetime” (v8).

Lord, We can be such vain, foolish creatures. Forgive us. We can so easily squander the opportunities You give us. Help us. Help us to get out of Your way and our own so that You can use us to comfort Your people and build Your kingdom on earth. Amen.

Have a blessed day.

I’ve got a lot of conflicting thoughts about today’s scripture. I know that asking in prayer for what we want or need is an important part of our faith, but I don’t think whether or not someone is healed is a matter of whether they (or their loved ones) prayed hard enough.

In our fleshly minds, sometimes we interpret lack of healing as lack of prayer or faith. I don’t see God as that cruel, crossing His arms in heaven, saying, “If only he’d had three more people praying for him, I’d have healed him. Too bad for him.” God is loving and merciful, not cruel.

Lord, I still have so much to learn and understand about faith and prayer and healing, about Your will and Your ways. Help me to lean into You and trust You always, Lord. Draw me closer. Amen.

Have a blessed day.