December 11: Isaiah 35:1-7
Key Verse: Isaiah 35:3
Strengthen the feeble hands, steady the knees that give way;
Devotion:
Can you imagine being told by God you have to go and tell people they are going to face hardships they never dreamed of and lose almost everything they had worked for? I don’t think Isaiah liked having to tell the people of Israel that someone was coming to break down their holy city, but equally telling the Gentiles they would gain everything must have hurt.
We may look on these words in various ways like above, but really they were telling of a change in the church, from the reign of the Pharisees to a time when the Gospel message would bring a new season for the church. Isaiah knew someone would come to overthrow Jerusalem – a few hundred years later the Babylonians did that. But he also knew a Saviour was coming who would overturn all the old ways and bring in something which would mean more to all people than before.
With hindsight we can look back on these words and figure out what was coming and what would happen after the initial destruction and enslavement of the people. Isaiah had the unenviable task of tell all of this news to the people of Israel.
We have been given these words, our history and all manner of things to show us how truthful and serious God was and is. If we can stop from our busy lives and read over what happened, reconcile that with the message from God and look to what is still to come, we can be encourage and filled with hope. We have to change our lives and fill them more with God’s presence and His promises...
Points to Ponder:
Do you like giving out bad news?
Don’t forget the good news of the gospel!