Category: Isaiah

Isaiah 25:9 In that day they will say, “Surely this is our God; we trusted in him, and he saved us. This is the Lord, we trusted in him; let us rejoice and be glad in his salvation.”

I’m not going to lie–verses like 10-12 today are hard for me. A God of vengeance and destruction has always been difficult for me to stomach. My God is a God of love and compassion, a God who loved His creation so much that He sent His only Son to die for us so that we could live for Christ.

Isaiah 25:10 The hand of the Lord will rest on this mountain; but Moab will be trampled in their land as straw is trampled down in the manure.

Perhaps I’m naive, but I don’t think a God who would send His Son in exchange for us would give up on people easily. I think He would hold on until there was no possible hope of redemption (which is death because as long as we have breath in us, we have the choice to turn to Him). He doesn’t beg, plead, or grovel, but He leaves that door open as long as there is any possibility we might wise up and turn to Him.

Isaiah 25:11 They will stretch out their hands in it, as swimmers stretch out their hands to swim. God will bring down their pride despite the cleverness of their hands.

Precious Savior, Thank You that You are a God of love, mercy, and compassion. Thank You that You love us fiercely, even when we refuse to turn to You. Thank You that You want us to come to You, but You would never force us. You allow us the choice. Help me to choose You–every minute of every day. Amen.

Isaiah 25:12 He will bring down your high fortified walls and lay them low; he will bring them down to the ground, to the very dust.

Have a blessed day.

Isaiah 25:6 On this mountain the Lord Almighty will prepare a feast of rich food for all peoples, a banquet of aged wine— the best of meats and the finest of wines.

Lord, You know that I struggle with death, with earthly goodbyes, with letting go of those who have gone before. Thank You that You know my heart, that You love those I love more than I am even capable of loving. Thank You that the moment someone takes a last breath here, they open their eyes to You, to eternity, to the loved ones who have gone before.

Isaiah 25:7 On this mountain he will destroy the shroud that enfolds all peoples, the sheet that covers all nations;

Father, Thank You that we do not grieve as those who have no hope (1 Thess 4:13), that You care for us and about our sadness so much that You collect every tear in a bottle (Psalm 56:8), that You understand our sadness but that You hold our loved ones securely in the palm of Your hand and You always have.

Isaiah 25:8a …he will swallow up death forever. The Sovereign Lord will wipe away the tears from all faces;

Precious Savior, Thank You that You gave Your life for us, that You love us fiercely, unconditionally, eternally. Thank You that this world is not our home, that You have gone ahead to prepare a place for us (John 14:3), that our loved ones who have gone before are securely in Your care, happy and whole. While I am on this earth, help me to shine Your light, knowing when You call me home, I will be reunited with You and with those I love. Amen.

Isaiah 25:8b …he will remove his people’s disgrace from all the earth. The Lord has spoken.

Have a blessed day.

Isaiah 25:4a You have been a refuge for the poor, a refuge for the needy in their distress, a shelter from the storm and a shade from the heat.

What strikes me in today’s verses is the number of comparisons and analogies used to convey Isaiah’s point. It puts me in mind of the fact that on this side of the veil, comparisons and analogies are all we have because we are seeing “through a glass darkly” (1 Cor 13:12).

Isaiah 25:4b For the breath of the ruthless is like a storm driving against a wall

Seeing some of the beauty and majesty of God’s creation on earth makes me wonder how amazing heaven will be. If the vistas and overlooks I’ve seen pale in comparison, and I think they do, how truly inspiring is what comes next?

Isaiah 25:5a …and like the heat of the desert.

Precious Savior, Thank You for comparisons and analogies that can help us understand the things of heaven, which we cannot truly comprehend on this side of the veil. Thank You for the beauty and majesty of this earth and the fact that it pales in comparison to Your eternal glory. Amen.

Isaiah 25:5b You silence the uproar of foreigners; as heat is reduced by the shadow of a cloud, so the song of the ruthless is stilled.

Have a blessed day.

Isaiah 25:1a Lord, you are my God; I will exalt you and praise your name,… 

Lord, Thank You that You are who You are and You are who You are to me. Thank You for the desire to strengthen my relationship with You and the ability to get to know You better through Your word and Your people. Help me, daily, to draw just a little bit closer to You.

Isaiah 25:1b …for in perfect faithfulness you have done wonderful things, things planned long ago.

Father, Thank You for being bigger than my feelings, for being big enough to handle my questions, and I have so many questions. Thank You for hearing my questions, even if You don’t always choose to answer them. Thank You for being with me, even when I am angry or bitter or afraid.

Isaiah 25:2 You have made the city a heap of rubble, the fortified town a ruin, the foreigners’ stronghold a city no more; it will never be rebuilt.

Precious Savior, Thank You for being the source of every good thing, for being the source of every comfort. Thank You for caring so much about my tears that You collect them in a bottle. Thank You for the care with which You created me and for the blessings You lavish upon me. Help me to seek You, to see You, to draw closer to You always. Amen.

Isaiah 25:3 Therefore strong peoples will honor you; cities of ruthless nations will revere you.

Have a blessed day.

Romans 8:5 Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires.

This has been a tough week for a host of reasons, but I realized last night that I was allowing the events of the week to become way bigger, way more disastrous than they had any right to be.

Romans 8:6 The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace.

The result was that life felt interminable and disastrous, neither of which it truly is. I was focusing on the concerns of the flesh, the body, and it caused me to completely lose the peace of the Spirit.

Romans 8:7 The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so.

Precious Savior, Thank You for allowing me to see that I had taken my eyes off of You. Thank You for allowing me to understand that my shift in focus was robbing me of Your peace. Help me to stay focused on You and not on this world. Amen.

Romans 8: 8 Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God.

Have a blessed day.

Isaiah 40:29 He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.

Three times in the last four verses the word weary is used. I feel that—weariness—deep in my bones at present. But we are given an antidote to weariness in this section of scripture as well—hope in the Lord.

Isaiah 40:30 Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall;

There is no way to avoid weariness altogether. That’s part of life. But there is a way to overcome the weariness of this world: “[T]hose who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.”

Isaiah 40:31a but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles….

Precious Savior, It’s that time of year. I am so tired, so weary. Help me to accept it as a part of life. Help me overcome it by hoping in You alone, by resting in You alone. Thank You for seeing me, for understanding my weariness, for giving me rest. Amen.

Isaiah 40:31b …they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.

Have a blessed day.

Isaiah 40:28a Do you not know?

We had quite a storm last night. Thunder. Lightning. Heavy rain. The storm even knocked our internet out. It’s still out this morning. It’s ironic and disconcerting that all our connectivity, all our digital power can be severed so easily.

Isaiah 40:28b Have you not heard?

But God’s power doesn’t depend on the internet. God’s power and sovereignty are independent of everything man created. They are lasting, eternal. Nothing can separate us from God. Not storms, not tragedy, not internet outages, nothing.

Isaiah 40:28c The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth.

Precious Savior, Our connectivity makes us feel so powerful, so connected, but that power can literally be severed in an instant. Thank You that Your sovereignty reigns eternal. Help me to trust You always, even through life’s storms. Amen.

Isaiah 40:28c He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom.

Have a blessed day.

Isaiah 40:28a Do you not know? Have you not heard?

At this time of the school year, these verses truly resonate with me. The Lord does not grow weary? He gives strength to those who are weary? I’m feeling weary to my core. I can use His strength. I can learn from his indefatigability.

Isaiah 40:28b …The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth.

Yet if I just attach myself to His tirelessness, there is all kinds of potential for this to go awry. He’s not only tireless, He possesses unfathomable understanding. I think that understanding is key to who He is, yet there is so very much that I do not understand.

Isaiah 40:28c …He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom.

Precious Savior, Thank You that I can come to You when I am weary, so weary. Thank You for the strength that can only come from You. Help me to cling to You always, for rest, for renewal, for equanimity when understanding is so far out of my reach. Help me. Amen.

Isaiah 40:29 He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.

Have a blessed day.

Isaiah 40:25 “To whom will you compare me? Or who is my equal?” says the Holy One.

I’ve always believed that I can pray to God for silly things like close parking spaces or a break in the rain. These aren’t earth shaking requests. Sometimes God doesn’t grant them, but I ask because I know I can. He is my father. He loves me.

Isaiah 40:26a Lift up your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these? He who brings out the starry host one by one and calls forth each of them by name….

Sometimes, though, it feels like He is not listening, He is not giving me answers that I feel like I *need* in order to understand, in order to persevere. That’s frustrating. Sometimes I’m tempted to complain. Sometimes I *do* complain. But I have found that even then the Lord is at work. He is with me.

Isaiah 40:26b …Because of his great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing.

Precious Savior, You don’t owe me an explanation. You never promised me that You would explain all things on this side of the veil. You promised never to leave me, never to forsake me. Thank You for keeping Your promises, always, even when I don’t understand. Amen.

Isaiah 40:27 Why do you complain, Jacob? Why do you say, Israel, “My way is hidden from the Lord; my cause is disregarded by my God”?

Have a blessed day.

Isaiah 40:21 Do you not know? Have you not heard? Has it not been told you from the beginning? Have you not understood since the earth was founded?

Not going to lie, I’m struggling a bit with this chapter in Isaiah. It began with “Comfort my people,” but the last several verses have established how fragile and ephemeral people are and how awesome and mighty God is. So what’s the ultimate lesson we are to learn here?

Isaiah 40:22 He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth, and its people are like grasshoppers. He stretches out the heavens like a canopy, and spreads them out like a tent to live in.

If I had to guess, I think that Isaiah is trying to help us keep our faith in the right place. God is sovereign and eternal. People are fragile and ephemeral. We can love them–God certainly loves His creation fiercely–but our faith must stay in God, our roots must sink into God, our hope must center on God. He’s up to the task. Humans are not.

Isaiah 40:23 He brings princes to naught and reduces the rulers of this world to nothing.

Precious Savior, Thank You for the truth You have laid on my heart this morning. Thank You for the reminder of how deeply You love your children. Thank You for the caution that our hope, our faith, our eternal joy must stay rooted in You alone. Help us to love others as You love while staying deeply rooted in You alone. Amen.

Isaiah 40:24 No sooner are they planted, no sooner are they sown, no sooner do they take root in the ground, than he blows on them and they wither, and a whirlwind sweeps them away like chaff.

Have a blessed day.