Category Archives: Isaiah

[1] “Here is my servant, whom I uphold,
my chosen one in whom I delight; I will put my Spirit on him, and he will bring justice to the nations.

[2] He will not shout or cry out, or raise his voice in the streets.

[3] A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out. In faithfulness he will bring forth justice;

[4] he will not falter or be discouraged till he establishes justice on earth. In his teaching the islands will put their hope.”

[5] This is what God the Lord says—the Creator of the heavens, who stretches them out, who spreads out the earth with all that springs from it, who gives breath to its people, and life to those who walk on it:

[6] “I, the Lord, have called you in righteousness; I will take hold of your hand. I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people and a light for the Gentiles,

[7] to open eyes that are blind, to free captives from prison and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness.

Isaiah 42:1-7

Dear God, what kind of god talks like that? The gods I read about other than you are so selfish and insecure. It makes me wonder how “Allah” speaks in the Koran. They trace back to Abraham. Do they see you as interested in justice? Do they see the bruised reed you offer us in verse three? Does Allah offer hope? Does he hold their hands and call them to be a light to others? Does he open their eyes and free those in bondage?

The God of the Bible is absolutely amazing, and seemingly unique, or at least rare. I can’t imagine any of the Greek, Roman, Norse, or any other gods talking like this. They were made from men and those gods were made in man’s image. Based on the knowledge of ourselves. But we are made in your image. You are calling us to this higher standard that isn’t wallowing in insecurity and self-pity. It’s the standard set by a god, THE God, who is totally secure in himself. You don’t need to show off your majesty and power. It’s just there and we can’t help but see it.

Father, help me to know how to embrace the comfort in my own skin that you call me to. Help me to be part of bringing your justice and love into your world. Help me let go of the older son (see the Prodigal Son parable) in me and join the celebration. Help me to delight with you and be generous to a fault because I can rest in the abundance of your love.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

⁸ “But as for you, Israel my servant,
    Jacob my chosen one,
    descended from Abraham my friend,
⁹ I have called you back from the ends of the earth,
    saying, ‘You are my servant.’
For I have chosen you
    and will not throw you away.
¹⁰ Don’t be afraid, for I am with you.
    Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you.
    I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.

Isaiah 41:8-10

Dear God, I had an interesting dream last night. Frankly, my wife puts more stock in my dreams than I do, but when I woke up I tried to remember it, and then I asked myself what it could me if it had a meaning at all.

Without going into too many details, I was traveling on the highway when I came upon heavy rain. I kept raining, but when I came over a rise I saw a bridge and at the bridge it had iced over and it was white with snow on the other side. I hit the brakes and safely skidded to a stop in the median. I was tucked safely away behind a barrier while cars crashed around me. Ultimately, I was able to see a live stream of the place where I was heading, and I saw that the sun was out and people were outside enjoying beautiful weather. The bad weather I was experiencing ultimately cleared, and I proceeded on. There are some other details involving my wife and I being physically separated from each other and me finding her before we moved on, but that was the gist of it. As I wondered what it could mean if you intended it to mean anything, what I thought about was how things might be dangerous ahead so stop and seek shelter. Things will crash around me, but then everything will clear up and I’ll be able to continue on my journey to a place that is good and peaceful.

So that almost sounds like the kind of thing I would draw up as a sermon illustration. You will take care of me here. Ultimately, the new earth you have for me is good. Don’t be afraid of the danger and chaos in the present. Stay as close to my wife as I can, even when we are not physically together. Okay. I’m good with that. That’s not to say that I think bad things can’t happen to me in this life or that I expect you to keep me from bad things. That would be haughty and arrogant of me to expect or ask. Who am I to not suffer compared to the wonderful people around me?

Then I read the Bible Gateway verse of the day this morning. Isaiah 41:10:

¹⁰ Don’t be afraid, for I am with you.
    Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you.
    I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.

I don’t like taking Bible verses out of context–especially the middle of a prophecy. So I captured some of the verses before this one too, but this verse seemed to play into the narrative of the dream I had. Don’t be afraid. Don’t be discouraged. You are with me. You will strengthen me and help me. You will hold me up.

Father, I’m not claiming any of it. If you offer it, of course, I will accept, but I would never expect that my life should be better than the next person’s. There is no reason Ukrainians, Russians, Palestinians, or Israelis should suffer more than I do. There are good people all over the world suffering now. So I ask, for my life, that you help me to take the gifts you give me and use the for your glory. If it’s to be safe and secure, help me to not waste the time. If it’s to have sorrow and suffer, make it count for your glory. But I am yours either way. I love you.

I pray all of this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

53 Who has believed our message?
    To whom has the Lord revealed his powerful arm?
² My servant grew up in the Lord’s presence like a tender green shoot,
    like a root in dry ground.
There was nothing beautiful or majestic about his appearance,
    nothing to attract us to him.
³ He was despised and rejected—
    a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief.
We turned our backs on him and looked the other way.
    He was despised, and we did not care.

⁴ Yet it was our weaknesses he carried;
    it was our sorrows that weighed him down.
And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God,
    a punishment for his own sins!
⁵ But he was pierced for our rebellion,
    crushed for our sins.
He was beaten so we could be whole.
    He was whipped so we could be healed.
⁶ All of us, like sheep, have strayed away.
    We have left God’s paths to follow our own.
Yet the Lord laid on him
    the sins of us all.

⁷ He was oppressed and treated harshly,
    yet he never said a word.
He was led like a lamb to the slaughter.
    And as a sheep is silent before the shearers,
    he did not open his mouth.
⁸ Unjustly condemned,
    he was led away.
No one cared that he died without descendants,
    that his life was cut short in midstream.
But he was struck down
    for the rebellion of my people.
⁹ He had done no wrong
    and had never deceived anyone.
But he was buried like a criminal;
    he was put in a rich man’s grave.

¹⁰ But it was the Lord’s good plan to crush him
    and cause him grief.
Yet when his life is made an offering for sin,
    he will have many descendants.
He will enjoy a long life,
    and the Lord’s good plan will prosper in his hands.
¹¹ When he sees all that is accomplished by his anguish,
    he will be satisfied.
And because of his experience,
    my righteous servant will make it possible
for many to be counted righteous,
    for he will bear all their sins.
¹² I will give him the honors of a victorious soldier,
    because he exposed himself to death.
He was counted among the rebels.
    He bore the sins of many and interceded for rebels.

Isaiah 53

Dear God, this is an amazing prophecy. Not only that. It’s amazing that Jesus fulfilled it. Thank you!! THANK YOU!!!

I was talking with a friend recently who relayed a conversation with a friend of theirs that I don’t know, but it stunned them. Basically, this person blamed you for everything. What you created was bad. You created angels and there was an angel war that you sanctioned. You created people and families, and there are almost no good examples of families in the Bible (remember, this is all according to this person my friend knows). Even now, so many families are wrecked. In this person’s eyes, you create bad things. You are bad. And they apparently didn’t used to feel this way.

But I read this and it reminds me of just how loving you are. This person would say you killed your son because you are bad. I would say you did everything you had to do to reconcile us to you, including giving us teaching and examples through this son–YOUR SON. He bore my sins. He intercedes for me. Even now, he intercedes for me. Thank you!! THANK YOU!!!

Oh, Father, Jesus, Holy Spirit, I really do thank you. I really do worship you. In you I put my faith. I put my trust. I am so burdened by the suffering of others. I was at a fourth-grade musical performance tonight at our local elementary school and I was looking around the room at all of the family members there to watch their children. I know there was so much pain in that room. It hurt my heart. I can’t address it all. What part do you have for me? Show me. Reveal to me. And you know the personal prayers I have for my own family. Do something I can’t imagine because right now I feel pretty hopeless. Do all of this so that your kingdom might come and your will will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

I pray all of this for your glory and under your authority,

Amen