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A good place to be…. (devo reflection)

Isaiah 40:28 Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom.
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.
Isaiah 40:29 He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.
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.
Isaiah 40:30-31a Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.
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.
Isaiah 40:31b They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.
Have a blessed day.
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Pride…. (devo reflection)

Isaiah 39:1 At that time Marduk-Baladan son of Baladan king of Babylon sent Hezekiah letters and a gift, because he had heard of his illness and recovery.
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.
Isaiah 39:2a Hezekiah received the envoys gladly and showed them what was in his storehouses….
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).
Isaiah 39:2b …the silver, the gold, the spices, the fine olive oil—his entire armory and everything found among his treasures….
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.
Isaiah 39:2c …There was nothing in his palace or in all his kingdom that Hezekiah did not show them.
Have a blessed day.
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I have heard your prayer…. (devo reflection)

Isaiah 38:4 Then the word of the Lord came to Isaiah….
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.
Isaiah 38:5a “Go and tell Hezekiah, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of your father David, says: I have heard your prayer and seen your tears….’”
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.
Isaiah 38:5b …I will add fifteen years to your life. 
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.
Isaiah 38:6 And I will deliver you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria. I will defend this city.
Have a blessed day.
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The God of the remnants…. (devo reflection)

Isaiah 37:4 “It may be that the Lord your God will hear the words of the field commander, whom his master, the king of Assyria, has sent to ridicule the living God, and that he will rebuke him for the words the Lord your God has heard. Therefore pray for the remnant that still survives.”
My mom had a fabric shop when I was growing up, so the mention of the word remnant puts me in mind of fabric, specifically the last little bit on a bolt. It would be easy to discount remnants as useless scraps; however, they would be packaged and sold to quilters and turned into beautiful, warm quilts. Those remnants were used in powerful ways.
Isaiah 37:20 “Now, Lord our God, deliver us from his hand, so that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you, Lord, are the only God.”
I think God has a similar view of remnants, not as scraps to be thrown away but as valuable resources to be remade into something useful and powerful.
Isaiah 37:31 Once more a remnant of the kingdom of Judah will take root below and bear fruit above.
Lord, You are the God of the remnants. May we, when we feel like useless scraps, see Your power to remake us into something useful in Your kingdom work. Amen.
Isaiah 37:35 “I will defend this city and save it, for my sake and for the sake of David my servant!”
Have a blessed day.
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Promises and siren songs…. (devo reflection)

Isaiah 36:16 “Do not listen to Hezekiah. This is what the king of Assyria says: Make peace with me and come out to me. Then each of you will eat fruit from your own vine and fig tree and drink water from your own cistern….”
This line from Isaiah brought George Washington and the play “Hamilton” to mind. In the three verses below, the vine and fig tree are allusions to freedom, peace, and rest. In the Isaiah verse, Rabshakeh hopes to pull on those same emotions.
Micah 4:4 Everyone will sit under their own vine and under their own fig tree, and no one will make them afraid, for the LORD Almighty has spoken.
Hezekiah is trying to convince the Israelites to stay the course, continue trusting in God even through their fear. Rabshakeh says, “Just trust the Assyrian king and rest and peace—vine and fig tree—will be yours.” It’s a trick, of course.
1 Kings 4:25 During Solomon’s lifetime Judah and Israel, from Dan to Beersheba, lived in safety, everyone under their own vine and under their own fig tree.
Lord, How often in my exhaustion and desire for rest do I fall for the siren song of Rabshakeh. You promise me peace and rest but only if I trust in You and You alone. I want Your peace and rest, Lord, not the empty promises of this world. Draw me closer. Amen.
Zechariah 3:10 “’In that day each of you will invite your neighbor to sit under your vine and fig tree,’ declares the LORD Almighty.”
Have a blessed day.
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Joy of the Redeemed…. (devo reflection)

Isaiah 35:3 Strengthen the feeble hands, steady the knees that give way….
Lord, Thank You for the reminder that because I am Your deeply loved child, I have the ability to claim the “Joy of the Redeemed” every moment of every day. Forgive me for the many, many, many times I choose to dwell in my misery instead of focusing on the joy of Your salvation.
Isaiah 35:4 …say to those with fearful hearts, “Be strong, do not fear; your God will come…he will come to save you.”
Lord, Help me to live this day knowing that I am Yours, living into that truth. When I feel inadequate to the task, steady my knees. When my heart is fearful, remind me to be strong. And then help me to use Your strength to strengthen and encourage others.
Isaiah 35:5 Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped.
Lord, in a world where sorrow is a sometimes daily reality, thank You for Your abundant joy. Thank You for Your restoration and renewal. Help me to lay my burdens at Your feet and rest in Your love and peace. Help me to shine Your Light for others. Amen.
Isaiah 35:6 Then will the lame leap like a deer, and the mute tongue shout for joy. Water will gush forth in the wilderness and streams in the desert.
Have a blessed day.
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Abundantly…. (devo reflection)

Isaiah 34:16a Look in the scroll of the Lord and read: None of these will be missing, not one will lack her mate….
Lord, Thank You for the hope that can be found so abundantly in Your word, for the invitation to return to You that is woven throughout.
Isaiah 34:16b …For it is his mouth that has given the order, and his Spirit will gather them together.
Thank You that You are not a “gotcha God” as in “you screwed up; now I gotcha and I’m going to punish you.” Thank You that You know our fleshly humanity and You love us fiercely regardless.
Isaiah 34:17a He allots their portions; his hand distributes them by measure….
Lord, I do not want to be infected with a spirit of fear. I don’t want to worry that You’ll smite me at the least provocation. I know that I am fleshly and human and flawed. I also know that You love me fiercely, exactly as You created me. You claim me abundantly as Your beloved child, and I am so incredibly thankful. Help me to love myself and others as You love me. Draw me closer. Amen.
Isaiah 34:17b …They will possess it forever and dwell there from generation to generation.
Have a blessed day.
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A clear and hopeful message….

Isaiah 33:2a Lord, be gracious to us; we long for you….
The book of Isaiah as a whole has a decidedly negative bent. But the message that I see emerging is clear and hopeful—a repeated invitation to turn from their destructive ways, from their misplaced hopes, and return to God.
Isaiah 33:2b …Be our strength every morning, our salvation in time of distress.
God does not mince words about the outcome if they don’t return—they will face consequences of their choices, and it won’t be good. But I sincerely believe God isn’t trying to “fear” them into change. He doesn’t want them to change just because they are afraid of the consequences. He could have created automatons if that’s what He wanted. He wants them, us, to consciously choose Him, to intentionally return to Him.
Isaiah 33:6a [The LORD] will be the sure foundation for your times, a rich store of salvation and wisdom and knowledge….
Lord, Your fierce love of us is mind-blowing. We don’t deserve Your grace or compassion and yet You give it freely and repeatedly. Forgive me for the times I’ve ignored Your invitation to return. Help me to make You and keep You the center of my life. Always. Amen.
Isaiah 33:6b …the fear of the Lord is the key to this treasure.
Have a blessed day.
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Peace, protection, and rest…. (devo reflection)

Isaiah 32:17 The fruit of that righteousness will be peace; its effect will be quietness and confidence forever.
Motifs I’m noticing in Isaiah include invitations to peace and rest through God. One would think accepting those invitations would be a no-brainer, and yet I personally, ridiculously seem to struggle mightily doing so.
Isaiah 32:18 My people will live in peaceful dwelling places, in secure homes, in undisturbed places of rest.
I thought for a very long time that the root cause was an inability to trust, which always bothered me. Recently, God has placed on my heart that perhaps the reason has more to do with pride, with feeling like I *should* be able to do it on my own, so I need to prove that I can.
Isaiah 32:19 Though hail flattens the forest and the city is leveled completely….
Lord, Over and over in scripture, You invite Your children into Your peace and protection, You urge Your children to rest in You. There is no reproach, no condemnation in Your invitation. Help me to put aside whatever it is that is separating me from Your peace which surpasses all understanding. Draw me into Your rest. Help me, Jesus. Amen.
Isaiah 32:20 how blessed you will be, sowing your seed by every stream, and letting your cattle and donkeys range free.
Have a blessed day.
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The invitation to return (cont’d)…. (devo reflection)

Isaiah 31:4a This is what the Lord says to me: “As a lion growls, a great lion over its prey— and though a whole band of shepherds is called together against it, it is not frightened by their shouts or disturbed by their clamor—
I love the analogies present here. Lions and birds are such different animals, but both are fierce and protective. God will protect me like a lion. God will shield me like a bird. Thank You, Jesus.
Isaiah 31:4b …so the Lord Almighty will come down to do battle on Mount Zion and on its heights.
But as I reread yesterday’s reflection in preparation, I noticed the invitation to return to Him. It’s present in today’s reading as well. That’s what He wants—us, stubborn, pig-headed, oblivious creatures that we are. He wants us to return to Him, to turn to Him, to trust in Him for our needs and our protection.
Isaiah 31:5 Like birds hovering overhead, the Lord Almighty will shield Jerusalem; he will shield it and deliver it, he will ‘pass over’ it and will rescue it.”
Lord, You know the struggles of my heart right now. You know that despite the fact that I intellectually *know* all I need to do is lay my burdens at Your feet, I struggle with letting them go, not because I don’t trust You but because I think it makes me more faithful to do it alone, which is untrue. I cannot do this life alone, Lord. I do not want to. Help me to lay these burdens at Your feet. Thank You for loving me enough to keep reminding me, stubborn as I am, to give it all to You. Amen.
Isaiah 31:6 Return, you Israelites, to the One you have so greatly revolted against.
Have a blessed day.