The Unexpected Servant
The example of God’s Servant challenges me to look at many things, not with human eyes, but with divine insight. I can be easily impressed by power, fame, beauty, and wealth. I, along with most human beings, tend to look for leaders—even Christian leaders—who shine with human glory… Isaiah reminds us to look, not for glitz, but for the gospel.
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Great News! God Reigns!
In Jesus, God has come to reign on the earth. Though the fullness of the kingdom is still to come, when we put our faith in Jesus, we begin even now to experience the peace, justice, and power of God’s reign. The good news we embrace as Christians is not only that we get to “go to Heaven” after we die, but also that we can begin to experience Heaven now.
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Drink the Cup, Not of Judgment, But of Salvation
Because Jesus drank the cup of divine judgment, he is able to offer us a different cup… Jesus drank our cup of judgment so that we might drink his cup of salvation. Thus we live each day, not in fear of God’s condemnation, but in gratitude for God’s grace in Christ.
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Living Without Fear
Do you ever find yourself gripped by fear? Are there times when your anxiety seems to devour your spirit?… Do you know this experience? I confess that I do. I’ve been a worrier since I was a child. And though I have certainly known the peace of God that passes all understanding, there are times when worry strangles my soul.
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Everlasting Joy!
As I reflect on this passage from Isaiah today, I find myself yearning for what it promises. “Everlasting joy!” Overwhelming “gladness and joy!” The end of “sorrow and sighing!” This is not to say I am personally in a place of deep sadness today. But not far away are those who live with sorrow and sighing…
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How Can I Hear from God?
How can I be more attentive to God’s voice? In part, this comes when I have extended time with the Lord in quiet and solitude. But it also happens as I gather with God’s people, where the gifts of the Spirit are active… I’m listening for the voice of God, so that I might believe and obey.
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I Will Not Forget You!
When we go through seasons of suffering, it can seem as if God has forgotten us. We cry out to God in our prayers, but they seem to echo unheard in an empty universe. We look for signs of God’s grace, but we just can’t find them. In these times, we hold on tight to the promises of Scripture.
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A Shocking and Inspiring Revelation
Like Israel, we are to be a channel of God’s grace to the world, beginning with our neighbor across the street or the woman who works in the office next to us. For us, it is “too light a thing” merely to enjoy our own salvation. Rather, we are reflections and expressions of God’s salvation throughout the world, wherever we are.
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When Your Work Seems to Be in Vain
There are many times in life when our labor seems to be in vain. We can’t see the value of our work. We can feel discouraged and hopeless. In these times, like Israel, we find peace and hope when we entrust our efforts to God. Rather than focusing on what has gone wrong, we present ourselves and our work to God as worship.
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God Wants the Best For You
When we walk in God’s ways, God’s work is done through us, not just in our “religious activities,” but in all we do. God is honored and glorified through our obedience and through the fruit of our labors. But when God teaches us, and when we follow his instruction, we benefit as well.
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How God Refines Us
Suffering has a way of refocusing our minds and hearts. When we’re in pain, be it physical, emotional, or relational, we stop caring about little things that don’t matter. Our hearts yearn for what is truly important: the love of family and friends, the assurance that life has meaning, justice for all people, and, the transformational peace of God.
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The Lord of the Armies is with Us
The bulk of Isaiah 47 consists of God’s taunting condemnation of Babylon. But verse 4 is an interjection by the prophet, speaking on behalf of Israel: “Our Redeemer—the LORD Almighty is his name—is the Holy One of Israel.”
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Remember the Former Things
Throughout the Bible, God’s people are called to remembrance. We are to bring to mind God’s wondrous works in the past so that our faith might be renewed in the present… For Christians, the focal point of our remembrance is the cross, by which God delivered us from slavery to sin and death.
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Worship the Lord with All You Are, in Every Part of Life
We worship the triune God through bowing before him, offering our whole lives to him in humble worship. This worship happens not just in church, but in the world, as we serve the Lord each day, at work and at home, in our jobs and our hobbies, among our neighbors and our friends.
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You Are God’s Handiwork
In the context of Isaiah, God is the potter and Israel is the clay. God is molding Israel according to his plans and purposes. What was once true of Israel is also true of us. God is the potter and we are his clay. He is in the process of shaping us, so that we might be everything he has created us to be.
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