Posted on

A firm, secure place…. (devo reflection)

Isaiah 22:21 I will clothe him with your robe and fasten your sash around him and hand your authority over to him. He will be a father to those who live in Jerusalem and to the people of Judah. 
This section is talking about a transfer of power and favor. Shebna has lost his focus on the Holy One and is living for himself, taking glory in himself. So God strips Shebna of power and position and transfers that power to Eliakim.
Isaiah 22:22 I will place on his shoulder the key to the house of David; what he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open. 
In order to help ensure that Eliakim will not travel the same, ill-fated road, He drives Eliakim “like a peg into a firm place”. He, God, is that firm, secure place. It is where we all should rest.
Isaiah 22:23 I will drive him like a peg into a firm place; he will become a seat a of honor for the house of his father.
Lord, Thank You for this day and this scripture. Thank You for the reminder that I must firmly ground myself if You, like a peg into a firm place, so that I can accomplish Your will. Draw me closer. Amen.
Isaiah 22:24 All the glory of his family will hang on him: its offspring and offshoots—all its lesser vessels, from the bowls to all the jars.
Have a blessed day.
Posted on

Hardwiring hope…. (devo reflection)

Isaiah 21:1 A prophecy against the Desert by the Sea: Like whirlwinds sweeping through the southland, an invader comes from the desert, from a land of terror.
Once again, I am struck by the imagery and wording in this passage. Whirlwinds speak to a force that is unstoppable and outside of human control. The word “sweeping” sounds methodical and indicates cleaning up, getting rid of the detritus.
Isaiah 21:3 At this my body is racked with pain, pangs seize me, like those of a woman in labor; I am staggered by what I hear, I am bewildered by what I see.
Again the choice of imagery here, a woman in labor, speaks to inevitably, of things outside of human control. But both images offer hope. With sweeping up, you are getting rid of, but what’s left is left better than it was. With labor pains, there is definitely pain there, but what is left is new life.
Isaiah 21:4 My heart falters, fear makes me tremble; the twilight I longed for has become a horror to me.
Lord, Thank You for this day and this scripture. Thank You for hardwiring hope so strongly within me that I see it everywhere. Thank You for allowing me to draw closer to You through Your word. Help me to shine Your light. Amen.
Isaiah 21:5 They set the tables, they spread the rugs, they eat, they drink! Get up, you officers, oil the shields!
Have a blessed day.
Posted on

In God alone…. (devo reflection)

Isaiah 20:3 Then the Lord said, “Just as my servant Isaiah has gone stripped and barefoot for three years, as a sign and portent against Egypt and Cush….
Commentary caught my attention today with this gem: “Whenever our expectation is in something wrong, or our glory is in something wrong, the LORD will find a way to make those things disappoint us.” That quote put me in mind of Proverbs 3:5-6: “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him and He will make your paths straight.”
Isaiah 20:4 …so the king of Assyria will lead away stripped and barefoot the Egyptian captives and Cushite exiles, young and old, with buttocks bared—to Egypt’s shame. 
Here’s the thing: I am utterly—mentally, physically, totally—exhausted. Maybe that’s God’s way of reminding me that I am putting my faith, my expectation, in something that is not Him. Maybe this perpetual exhaustion and frustration is a reminder to turn to Him, to trust Him. Jesus, Help me.
Isaiah 20:5 Those who trusted in Cush and boasted in Egypt will be dismayed and put to shame. 
Lord, Thank You for this day and this scripture. I am so weary of this perpetual exhaustion and the anger and frustration that comes with it. Help me to live Proverbs 3:5-6 in such a way that my faith and expectation are in You alone. Grant me Your rest and Your peace. Amen.
Isaiah 20:6 In that day the people who live on this coast will say, ‘See what has happened to those we relied on, those we fled to for help and deliverance from the king of Assyria! How then can we escape?’ ”
Have a blessed day.
Posted on

It is your choice…. (devo reflection)

Isaiah 19:22 The LORD will strike Egypt with a plague; he will strike them and heal them. They will turn to the LORD, and he will respond to their pleas and heal them. (NIV)
Again I am struck in this chapter by the opposing images—destruction and healing. What I think I understand from this is that God is essentially saying, “I will do everything I can to convince you to return to Me. When you return, I will heal you. I want to heal you because you are precious to Me, but it is your choice to return and be healed.”
Isaiah 19:22 The LORD will strike Egypt, and then he will bring healing. For the Egyptians will turn to the LORD, and he will listen to their pleas and heal them. (NLT)
Maybe I’m too optimistic, too hopeful in my interpretation, but I don’t think so. As a parent, I love my children dearly, I want the absolute best for them. It hurts my heart when they make poor choices. I want them to succeed, to be good, kind, merciful, compassionate people. How could God, the ultimate parent, want anything less?
Isaiah 19:22 And the LORD will strike Egypt, striking and healing, and they will return to the LORD, and he will listen to their pleas for mercy and heal them. (ESV)
Lord, Thank You for this day and this scripture. Thank You for the levels of understanding that open up when I read Your word. Thank You for the hope of Your compassion, mercy, and understanding. Help me to love as You love. Draw me closer. Amen.
Isaiah 19:22 After the LORD has punished Egypt, the people will turn to him. Then he will answer their prayers, and the Egyptians will be healed. (CEV)
Have a blessed day.
Posted on

The dual nature of God…. (devo reflection)

Isaiah 18:4 This is what the LORD says to me: “I will remain quiet and will look on from my dwelling place, like shimmering heat in the sunshine, like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest.” (NIV)
Something about this imagery captured my attention. I think it is because the images themselves seem contradictory—heat radiating from the ground on a hot day seems a very negative image. While the shimmering aspect is fascinating to see, the air shimmers because of the intense heat, which carries many negative associations.
Isaiah 18:4 For the LORD has told me this: “I will watch quietly from my dwelling place— as quietly as the heat rises on a summer day, or as the morning dew forms during the harvest.” (NLT)
However, the “cloud of dew in the heat of harvest” seems a much more positive image, a respite, a breather from the baking heat. It puts me in mind of misting stations at theme parks—a welcome relief, a chance to cool off. Are these images addressing the dual nature of God? That He can both bring shimmering heat (judgement) and cooling dew (mercy, compassion, salvation), that both are possible within the same God?
Isaiah 18:4 For this is what the LORD has told me: “I will quietly look from My dwelling place Like dazzling heat in the sunshine, Like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest.” (NASB)
Lord, Thank You for this day and this scripture. Thank You for the beautiful language that can be found in Your word. Thank You for the understanding that pondering these images brings. Draw me closer. Amen.
Isaiah 18:4 The LORD said to me, “I will calmly look down from my home above–as calmly as the sun at noon or clouds in the heat of harvest season.” (CEV)
Have a blessed day.
Posted on

Beyond measure…. (devo reflection)

Isaiah 17:10a You have forgotten God your Savior; you have not remembered the Rock, your fortress….
These verses in Isaiah are a sharp contrast to Psalm 18:2, which reads, “The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold,” and to Psalm 62:2, which declares, “Truly He is my rock and my salvation; He is my fortress, I will never be shaken.”
Isaiah 17:10b …Therefore, though you set out the finest plants and plant imported vines….
How easy, frighteningly easy, it is in today’s life, to ignore that vital connection with our Savior. It takes intentionality on our part to keep that intimate connection with God strong. But the rewards of that intimate relationship, a Savior who is our rock and fortress, our salvation and stronghold, are beyond measure: security, trust, safety, a port in life’s storm.
Isaiah 17:11a …though on the day you set them out, you make them grow, and on the morning when you plant them, you bring them to bud….
Lord, Thank You for this day and this scripture. Thank You for the reminder of the need for a vital, personal relationship with You. Help me to always keep You at my center. Draw me closer. Amen.
Isaiah 17:11b …yet the harvest will be as nothing in the day of disease and incurable pain.
Have a blessed day.
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.