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He chose all of us…. (devo reflection)

Isaiah 61:1a The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor….
As I read this verse, a scene from the movie “Evan Almighty” came to mind. In it, a reporter recounts the changes that Evan has gone through and asks, “How can you be so sure that God chose you?” Evan’s simple, profound response? “He chose all of us.” Jesus is God’s anointed, His one and only Son, but He chose all of us to help proclaim His Good News.
Isaiah 61:1b …He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners….
This chapter helps reinforce my belief in the power of prayer. There is often so little I can do physically to mitigate the suffering of others, but I believe prayer makes a difference. It draws us and others closer to God. It reminds us of His promise to bring beauty from our ashes, to work all things to His glory and our good.
Isaiah 61:2 …to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn….
Lord, Thank You for Your fierce love, for Your Son, Jesus. Thank You for calling us to help participate in Your kingdom work by allowing us to proclaim Your Good News. Thank You for exchanging our ashes for Your beauty, for the power of prayer, and for allowing us to lift each other up to You. Draw us all closer to You. Amen.
Isaiah 61:3 …and provide for those who grieve in Zion—to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.
Have a blessed day.
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The Lord will be your everlasting light…. (devo reflection)

Isaiah 60:19 The sun will no more be your light by day, nor will the brightness of the moon shine on you, for the Lord will be your everlasting light, and your God will be your glory.
Lord, Your promises in this chapter bring my heart joy. Thank You for the promise of being my everlasting light and my glory. Help me to separate myself from the things of this world, the things that seem so important but can never bring me Your peace and joy.
Isaiah 60:20 Your sun will never set again, and your moon will wane no more; the Lord will be your everlasting light, and your days of sorrow will end.
Lord, I cling to the promise that in Your kingdom, earthly sorrow will be no more. Thank You for that hope and promise, for gathering all my tears in a bottle, for seeing my sorrow and holding me as I grieve earthly losses.
Isaiah 60:21 Then all your people will be righteous and they will possess the land forever. They are the shoot I have planted, the work of my hands, for the display of my splendor.
Lord, Help me never to forget that this world is not my home, that You have overcome this world and through You we are more than conquerors, that You can and will bring Your beauty from all our ashes. Help us to hold on to You, even as we struggle. Draw us closer. Give us strength. Amen.
Isaiah 60:22 The least of you will become a thousand, the smallest a mighty nation. I am the Lord; in its time I will do this swiftly.”
Have a blessed day.
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Thank You, Jesus…. (devo reflection)

Isaiah 59:1 Surely the arm of the Lord is not too short to save, nor his ear too dull to hear.
According to the way I understand verses 1 & 2, Isaiah is saying that God CAN save, but our sin separates us from Him, so He chooses not to. This is something I struggle with, and I feel like this disconnect I sense has to do with God before He sends Jesus His Son to earth and God after that act of ultimate compassion.
Isaiah 59:2 But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear.
I struggle believing the God of all creation, the God of compassion, would turn His back on one of His who is suffering for any reason. As a parent, I would never turn my back on my hurting children, never leave them to fend for themselves, even when the disobey, even if their actions caused their suffering. That’s not what parents do. “If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask Him!” (Matt 7:11).
Isaiah 59:21a “As for me, this is my covenant with them,” says the Lord….”
Lord, I struggle mightily with things I don’t understand, and suffering is one of those things. One day, when we meet face to face, perhaps it will make sense, but for now I cling to what I know—You are sovereign. You are fiercely loving. You are with us, even in our struggles and suffering, especially then. You are making a way through whatever wilderness we face. You will never leave us nor forsake us. Thank You, Jesus. Amen.
Isaiah 59:21b …“My Spirit, who is on you, will not depart from you, and my words that I have put in your mouth will always be on your lips, on the lips of your children and on the lips of their descendants—from this time on and forever,” says the Lord.
Have a blessed day.
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God knows our hearts…. (devo reflection)

Isaiah 58:6 “Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke?”
Isaiah 58:3 has the people saying, basically, “Hey, God, we’re fasting and humbling ourselves over here. Why aren’t You noticing and blessing us?” It brought to mind Matthew 6:1. These people seem to already have their blessing—it’s their pride of having fasted and humbled themselves. Their intentions were to be seen as holy for their actions. It seems the only One who didn’t see their actions as holy was the only One who matters: God.
Isaiah 58:7 Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—when you see the naked, to clothe them, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?
In a recent study of Matthew 6, we discussed the role of intention in seeking and serving God. We talked about the fact that truly only two people know our real intentions—us and God—that it doesn’t matter eternally what others think, that good works can come from selfish motives, that God knows our hearts.
Isaiah 58:8 Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard.
Lord, It is so easy to get caught up in this world, to “play the game” so that we appear righteous to the world, even if our cores are rotten. I do not want to play the world’s game, Lord. Help me, always, to have a pure heart and eternal motives. Draw me closer to You, always, no matter what the world thinks. Amen.
Isaiah 58:9 Then you will call, and the Lord will answer; you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I.
Have a blessed day.
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In God alone…. (devo reflection)

Isaiah 57:11 “Whom have you so dreaded and feared that you have not been true to me, and have neither remembered me nor taken this to heart?…”
Something about this passage resonates with me because I see it clearly in today’s society. We may not worship the same idols as those mentioned here, but a quick look at what people put their faith in these days reveals a long and startling list: money, hard work, ourselves, society’s opinion, other people, the list goes on. Clearly, that’s not good. Our faith must reside in God alone.
Isaiah 57:12 “I will expose your righteousness and your works, and they will not benefit you.”
When I die, I hope my Savior will greet me with a hearty, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” I certainly don’t want to hear the pronouncement, “Your works, your righteousness, they will not benefit you.” That seems to indicate that my kingdom work on earth was not useful. And to then be told, “Let your collection of idols save you” (Remember the list? money, hard work, ourselves, society’s opinion, other people, the list goes on.), I truly want no part of that destruction. Jesus, Help me.
Isaiah 57:13a “When you cry out for help, let your collection of idols save you! The wind will carry all of them off, a mere breath will blow them away….”
Lord, Even reading these verses draws me closer to You. Thank You. When I read verses 11-13a, my heart pounds, my breathing quickens. It is not soothing or comfortable. But when I read verse 13b, I can breathe again. I can fill my lungs with Your air and Your peace. Help me to take refuge in You always, Lord. Draw me closer. Amen.
Isaiah 57:13b “…But whoever takes refuge in me will inherit the land and possess my holy mountain.”
Have a blessed day.
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To live, love, and serve like You…. (devo reflection)

Isaiah 56:1 This is what the Lord says: “Maintain justice and do what is right, for my salvation is close at hand and my righteousness will soon be revealed.”
Maintain justice and do what’s right… such simple, straightforward ideals, yet so many still have difficulty following through. Sometimes we get caught up in the world and sometimes we get caught up in our own mess, yet the moment we realize we are drifting, God gives us the means to make our way back to Him.
Isaiah 56:3 Let no foreigner who is bound to the Lord say, “The Lord will surely exclude me from his people.” And let no eunuch complain, “I am only a dry tree.”
I love the spirit of inclusion here, probably because I’ve felt—both real and imagined—the sting of exclusion myself. God’s not interested in exclusivity. He throws the gates of Heaven open to all who see Him for who He is. The rules are pretty simple: seek, see, maintain, do, follow.
Isaiah 56:8a The Sovereign Lord declares—he who gathers the exiles of Israel…
Lord, Thank You for being the fiercely loving God of the universe. Thank You for allowing us to come to You—even though we are slow, cranky, and obstinate. Thank You for welcoming all, especially the least of these. Help us to live, love, and serve like You. Draw us closer. Amen.
Isaiah 56:8b …“I will gather still others to them besides those already gathered.”
Have a blessed day.
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Today and always…. (devo reflection)

Isaiah 55:1 “Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost.”
The verses I have pulled today are reminders: 1. God’s invitation is for all, not just the wealthy or those seen as worthy. We are all invited to come and be spiritually filled, without money and without cost. 2. We will find the Lord whenever we seek Him with our whole hearts (Jer 29:13). He wants us to seek  Him and to know Him.
Isaiah 55:6 Seek the Lord while he may be found; call on him while he is near.
3. His ways are not our ways. His thoughts are not our thoughts. When God gets indignant about all the same things I do, I should be concerned and look more deeply into whether I am creating Him and His reactions in my own image. 4. When I align my life with Him, joy and peace will be abundant. This is one I struggle with, especially since joy and peace sometimes seem in very short supply. However, that’s my cue to keep working to align my life, my goals, my efforts with His.
Isaiah 55:8 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord.
Lord, Thank You for showing up with me, today and always, for always revealing a little more of who You are and who You are to me. Help me to know You more, to know You better. Help me not to worship a dim imitation that I have created in my own image. Help me to align my life with You and You alone. Draw me closer. Amen.
Isaiah 55:12 You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands.
Have a blessed day.
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Even in the chaos…. (devo reflection)

Isaiah 54:7 “For a brief moment I abandoned you, but with deep compassion I will bring you back.”
I bristle at verse 7 because God has promised never to leave me nor forsake me (Heb 13:5), so what am I supposed to do with that verse? Commentary helps me to reconcile this by saying that God only allowed the Israelites to *feel* abandoned for a moment. He did not actually abandon them. That I can understand.
Isaiah 54:8 “In a surge of anger I hid my face from you for a moment, but with everlasting kindness I will have compassion on you,” says the Lord your Redeemer.
I have felt abandoned by the Lord before. Mostly, I think, it was me trying to reconcile all that was falling apart in my life with God’s promises to me. There was a lot of “Why, Lord? Why me? Why the people I love? Why are some healed here and some are taken to heaven? It’s not fair! I hate it! Where are You in all of this chaos?!? You promised!!!” Through this terrible, terrible time, through the chaos, the struggle, the loss, God taught me that He truly IS with me always. He IS making a way in my wilderness, even when I cannot yet perceive it. I can share this hope with others because I have lived it firsthand myself.
Isaiah 54:9 “To me this is like the days of Noah, when I swore that the waters of Noah would never again cover the earth. So now I have sworn not to be angry with you, never to rebuke you again.”
Lord, Being Your beloved child does not mean that life will be easy. There is still heartache and pain. But You promise never to leave us nor forsake us. You promise to walk through the fire with us. You promise we will never have to go it without You by our side, AND YOU KEEP YOUR PROMISES. Always. Thank You. Help us to trust Your presence, even in our fear, anger, and bitterness. Even in the chaos, help us to trust that You are with us, drawing us closer. Thank You, Jesus. Amen.
Isaiah 54:10 Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed,” says the Lord, who has compassion on you.
Have a blessed day.
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The aesthetics of life…. (devo reflection)

Isaiah 53:2 …He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.
This world is all about aesthetics—attractive people, attractive places; if it looks good, it is considered good. We forget, often, that a shiny surface can hide a rotting core. Jesus, according to verse 2, was not  attractive. He wasn’t ugly, just plain, I think, without a visage that automatically drew people.
Isaiah 53:3a He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain….
No one was pulled into His orbit simply because of His looks. This idea fascinates me. We choose houses based on appearance. We choose places of worship, in part, based on the appearance of the building and the people—who they are, what they do, how they appear. Jesus numbered Himself among the sinners. He spent time with them, ministered to them, cared for them. I wonder how many “good Christian people” would choose Jesus today given our reliance on aesthetics and appearance. (It is a sobering question that I’m asking myself, too.)
Isaiah 53:3b …Like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised, and we held him in low esteem.
Lord, Thank You for who You are and who You are to me. Your kingdom is about love, grace, mercy, compassion. Don’t let me get caught up in the aesthetics of life. Don’t let me miss the whole point of Your love. Draw me closer, Lord. Help me to shine Your Light for all. Amen.
Isaiah 53:5 But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.
Have a blessed day.
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Behind and before…. (devo reflection)

Isaiah 52:12 But you will not leave in haste or go in flight; for the Lord will go before you, the God of Israel will be your rear guard.
When I read Isaiah 52:12, Psalm 139:5 immediately came to mind as it carries that same idea of being surrounded, before and behind, by the Lord. I’m not surprised that there are a number of verses that talk about the Lord or His angels surrounding His people. He promised never to leave us nor forsake us (Heb 13:5).
Psalm 139:5 You hem me in behind and before, and you lay your hand upon me.
The idea that God is always with me, surrounding me—especially in the difficult times—brings me great comfort. He doesn’t promise to make it all better or make it easy. He just promises that I am not facing life’s trials alone. He is with me—behind and before. He will never leave me nor forsake me. He is in the fire with me. He makes that promise to all of us.
Psalm 34:7 The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear Him, and he delivers them.
Lord, So many of us are struggling right now. Thank You for being with us, for hemming us in before and behind. Thank You for allowing us to draw closer to You during the dark, uncertain times. Help us to feel Your peace that passes all understanding and Your presence to know that we are not alone. Draw us closer. Amen.
Psalm 125:2 As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the LORD surrounds His people, both now and forevermore.
Have a blessed day.