Today’s Reading: 2 Kings 19; Isaiah 36-40

The King of Assyria was pressing in on the nation of Judah, making threats and taunting the people with plans to destroy Judah. The chief of staff made comments like, “Don’t let Hezekiah deceive you. He will never be able to rescue you from my power. Don’t let him fool you into trusting in the Lord by saying, ‘The Lord will surely rescue us…’” (2 Kings 18:29-30).

But King Hezekiah, knowing and trusting in God to deliver, prayed this prayer before the Lord:
“O Lord, God of Israel, you are enthroned between the mighty cherubim! You alone are God of ALL the kingdoms of the earth. You alone created the heavens and the earth. Bend down, O Lord, and listen! Open your eyes, O Lord, and see! Listen to Sennacherib’s words of defiance against the living God.” – 2 Kings 19:15-16

Hezekiah knew how big his God was! The prophet Isaiah also knew how big God was! In fact, he knew God was too big for man to fully understand – too awesome for our human minds to fathom!

Who else has held the oceans in his hand?
Who has measured off the heavens with his fingers?
Who else knows the weight of the earth or has weighed the mountains and hills on a scale?
Who is able to advise the Spirit of the Lord?
Who knows enough to give him advice or teach him?
Has the Lord ever needed anyone’s advice?
Does he need instruction about what is good?
Did someone teach him what is right or show him the path of justice? –Isaiah 40:12-14

To whom can you compare God? – Isaiah 40:18a

“To whom will you compare me? Who is my equal?” asks the Holy One.
Look up into the heavens.
Who created all the stars?
He brings them out like an army, one after another, calling each by its name.
Because of his great power and incomparable strength, not a single one is missing. – Isaiah 40:25-26

I love this passage! We serve the God who is more incredible than we can even wrap our minds around! Think about it. Can we truly grasp how incredible our God is? Our human understanding causes us to compare God to what we know, but God is so much bigger than ANYTHING we know. So why do I question Him or struggle to trust Him? Why do I think I know better than He does of what I need or what should happen? Consider the lyrics of this song by Addison Road (addisonroad.com):

I made You promises a thousand times / I tried to hear from Heaven / But I talked the whole time / I think I made You too small / I never feared You at all, No / If You touched my face would I know You? / Looked into my eyes could I behold You?

What do I know of You who spoke me into motion? / Where have I even stood but the shore along Your ocean? / Are You fire? Are You fury? Are You sacred? Are You beautiful? / What do I know? What do I know of Holy?

I guess I thought that I had figured You out / I knew all the stories and I learned to talk about / How You were mighty to save / Those were only empty words on a page / Then I caught a glimpse of who You might be / The slightest hint of You brought me down to my knees

What do I know of You who spoke me into motion? / Where have I even stood but the shore along Your ocean? / Are You fire? Are You fury? Are You sacred? Are You beautiful? / What do I know? What do I know of Holy? [addisonroad.com]

If we were to try to understand the ocean by merely standing on the beach, we would gain so very little knowledge of the wonders of this great body of water. If we were to wade in as far as possible, our understanding would increase because we would be experiencing the power of the ocean, but we would still have so much to learn. To try to understand God requires DIVING DEEPER, GOING FARTHER, trusting with a much greater faith. Our God is SO big, so CAPABLE of handling anything we may be facing. Read these words of Isaiah as if they were written specifically to you.

O ________, how can you say the Lord does not see your troubles?
O________, how can you say God ignores your rights?
Have you never heard?
Have you never understood?
The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of all the earth.
He never grows weak or weary.
No one can measure the depths of his understanding.
He gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless.

Even youths will become weak and tired, and young men will fall in exhaustion.
But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength.
They will soar high on wings like eagles.
They will run and not grow weary.
They will walk and not faint. – Isaiah 40:27-31

Today’s Reading: Hosea 8-14

The love story of Hosea and Gomer is A STORY OF MERCY. Hosea’s love for Gomer was sacrificial, life-affirming, passionate and redemptive. What a great example of Christ’s love for us! While we were still sinners, Christ died for us! His love for us is sacrificial – He gave His life on the cross! Three days later, He conquered death and rose to life in order that we might experience eternal life. His passionate love for us is displayed in the greatest act of history! His heart of mercy held a PLAN OF REDEMPTION. Jesus Christ is alive and loves us with a redeeming love that restores us.

Where are we on His merciful path of redemption?

God’s desire for an intimate relationship:

I want you to show love, not offer sacrifices.
I want you to know me, more than I want burnt offerings. – Hosea 6:6

God’s generous blessings on our lives and our tendency to turn away from all He has for us:

But the richer the people get, the more pagan altars they build.
The more bountiful their harvests, the more beautiful their sacred pillars.
The hearts of the people are fickle; they are guilty and must be punished. – Hosea 10:1-2

“I have been the Lord your God ever since I brought you out of Egypt.
You must acknowledge no God but me, for THERE IN NO OTHER SAVIOR.
I took care of you in the wilderness, in that dry and thirsty land.
But when you had eaten and were satisfied, you became proud and forgot me.” – Hosea 13:4-6

His call on our lives to live righteously:

I said, “Plant the good seeds of righteousness, and you will harvest a crop of love.
Plow up the hard ground of your hearts, for now is the time to seek the Lord, that he may come and shower righteousness upon you.” – Hosea 10:12

Out of His great mercy, God’s punishes us with consequences to our unfaithfulness, for the purpose of restoring us to a right relationship with Him — the relationship He sent His Son to restore:

“Come, let us return to the Lord. He has torn us to pieces; now he will heal us. He has injured us; now he will bandage our wounds. In just a short time he will restore us, so that we may live in his presence. Oh, that we might KNOW THE LORD! LET US PRESS ON TO KNOW HIM. He will respond to us as surely as the arrival of dawn or the coming of rains in early spring.” – Hosea 6:1-3

God’s judgment is always followed by the hope of restoration:

The Lord says, “Then I will heal you of your faithlessness;
my love will know no bounds, for my anger will be gone forever…
My people will again live under my shade…O Israel, stay away from idols!
I am the one who answers your prayers and cares for you.
I am like a tree that is always green; all your fruit comes from me.”
The paths of the Lord are true and right, and righteous people live by walking in them. – Hosea 14:4-9b

It’s worth asking again – Where are we on this path or journey? Are we enjoying an intimate relationship with God, resting in His plan and His purpose? Are we turning away from all of His blessings in our lives and continuing to search for something the world has to offer? Is God even now transforming our Valley of Trouble into a Gateway of Hope? Are we living once again under His shade, where the tree is always green and He is bearing fruit in our lives?

Oh, that we might KNOW THE LORD! Let us press on to know him. – Hosea 6:3a

Today’s Reading: Hosea 1-7

God gave Adam & Eve an incredible opportunity to live in intimate relationship with their Creator. He blessed them generously, yet they chose to disobey. Even though He had greatly blessed them, they disregarded God’s plan, ignored God’s purpose in their creation and satisfied their own desires instead of faithfully following God. This began the pattern of sin, generation after generation, until God’s beautiful creation was deeply in need of a Savior – a sacrificial lamb.

God gave the nation of Israel this same opportunity to live in relationship with Him. He rescued them from slavery and gave them Canaan – a land flowing with milk and honey. He showered them with spiritual and material blessings, asking them to stay on His path of righteousness and worship Him only. But they disregarded God’s plan, ignored God’s purpose and satisfied their own desires instead of faithfully following God. They messed up God’s perfect plan.

“Go and marry a prostitute.” – Hosea 1:2b

I am guessing that was the last thing Hosea expected God to ask him to do, but Hosea responded in obedience. At times God calls us to a higher level of obedience. Occasionally he asks us to do something out of the ordinary because He has something extraordinary to do through us.

Hosea the prophet’s life became an example of the unfaithfulness of Israel to their God. Hosea married a prostitute who continued to be unfaithful to him despite his generous love to her. Hosea’s anguish over his wife’s sins represents the heart of our God who grieves when we choose to love ourselves or something else more than we love Him. There were consequences to Gomer’s unfaithfulness, which came from a heart full of mercy, just as God’s punishment and the natural consequences of our sins come out of a heart of MERCY FOR THE PURPOSE OF REDEMPTION.

She doesn’t realize it was I who gave her everything she has – the grain, the new wine, the olive oil; I even gave her silver and gold. But she gave all my gifts to Baal.
But now I take back…
I will strip her…
I will put an end to…
I will destroy…
I will punish…
But then I will win her back once again.
I will lead her into the desert and speak tenderly to her there.
I will return her vineyards to her and transform the VALLEY OF TROUBLE into a GATEWAY OF HOPE.
She will give herself to me there, as she did long ago when she was young,
when I freed her from her captivity in Egypt.
When that day comes,” says the Lord, “you will call me ‘my husband’ instead of ‘my master.’…
I will make you my wife forever, showing you righteousness and justice, unfailing love and compassion.
I will be faithful to you and make you mine, and you will finally know me as the Lord. – Hosea 2:8-20

God offers each one of us the incredible opportunity to live in an intimate relationship with our Creator – the one who knows everything about us and loves us more than we can imagine. He enters into a covenant relationship with us, requiring us to walk down a path of righteousness – following God’s plan, clinging to God’s purposes and living fully for Him. When we break that covenant by putting something else or someone else ahead of Him, He allows us to go through a time of judgment or punishment or consequences for our actions out of His great love and mercy for us. This serves as His way of drawing us back to Him in order that He might restore us and reestablish His covenant with us. GOD’S HOPE ALWAYS FOLLOWS HIS JUDGMENT!

“Come, let us return to the Lord.
He has torn us to pieces; now he will heal us.
He has injured us; now he will bandage our wounds.
In just a short time he will restore us,
so that we may live in his presence.
Oh, that we might know the Lord!
Let us press on to know him.
He will respond to us as surely as the arrival of dawn
Or the coming of rains in early spring.” – Hosea 6:1-3

Today’s Reading: Isaiah 31–35, Psalm 102

At times God’s plan for me may include adversity to teach me or guide me. Sometimes the adversity is the result of my own mistakes but He doesn’t leave me to experience my consequences alone. He doesn’t abandon me in my TIME IN BETWEEN. He stays with me and is my teacher. I hear His voice, “This is the way you should go.” During the hard times, I can rest in Him.

Then the Lord will bless you with rain at planting time. There will be wonderful harvests and plenty of pastureland for your livestock. The oxen and donkeys that till the ground will eat good grain, its chaff blown away by the wind. In that day, when your enemies are slaughtered and the towers fall, there will be streams of water flowing down every mountain and hill. The moon will be as bright as the sun, and the sun will be seven times brighter – like the light of seven days in one! So it will be when the Lord begins to heal his people and cure the wounds HE gave them. – Isaiah 30:23-26

And so, in the TIME IN BETWEEN, I can wait. I can trust and rest in the knowledge that God is good and that God is present and that God is coming!

Listen! It’s the voice of someone shouting, “Clear the way through the wilderness for the Lord!
Make it a straight highway through the wasteland for our God!
Fill in the valleys, and level the mountains and hills.
Straighten the curves, and smooth out the rough places.
Then the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all people will see it together.
The Lord has spoken!”

A voice said, “Shout!” I asked, “What should I shout?”

“Shout that people are like the grass. Their beauty fades as quickly as the flowers in the field.
The grass withers and the flowers fade beneath the breath of the Lord. And so it is with people.
The grass withers and the flowers fade, but the word of our God stands forever.” – Isaiah 40:3-8

I can wait on God knowing that He is coming! He is my deliverer and my Lord, in whom I trust and for whom I wait. Anything else I could reach out to or cling to will fade away because nothing else is eternal. The word of my God stands forever and He is coming!!!

Yes, the Sovereign Lord is coming in power. He will rule with a powerful arm.
See, he brings his reward with him as he comes. He will feed his flock like a shepherd.
He will carry the lambs in his arms, holding them close to his heart.
He will gently lead the mother sheep with their young. – Isaiah 40:10-11

The Lord is coming. And so, like Mary, we watch and we wait. We watch, knowing God is aware and has a plan. We wait, knowing God’s timing is always perfect.

Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a long sheet of clean linen cloth. He placed it in his own new tomb, which had been carved out of rock. Then he rolled a great stone across the entrance and left. Both Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were sitting across from the tomb and watching. – Matthew 27:59-61

O my God, who lives forever, we call on you this morning. We recognize that you laid the foundation of the earth and made the heaven with your hands. Knowing this, we put our trust in you for everything going on in our lives. You remain forever; you have always been and will always be [Psalm 102]. On you we wait, trusting you to move in your perfect time and in your perfect way.

Today’s Reading: Isaiah 27–30

What must it have been like for the followers of Jesus the day after His crucifixion? He told them He would be back, that He would rise from the dead, but they did not understand. Their emotions were mixed with sorrow and fear. Some, like Peter, must have felt strong regret over their lack of faith in the difficulties of the day before. This day between the crucifixion and the resurrection, the period of waiting to see what God will do next, waiting for God’s help. Have you been in this place before – in this TIME IN BETWEEN? Are you, even now, waiting to see what God will do next?

In Isaiah, we see the Israelites in a similar holding pattern. They knew God was upset with them for their consistent flopping between faithfulness and fickleness. They knew they were about to experience the consequences of their generational choices. They could look back and see the many ways in which God had rescued them and they could look forward to the coming destruction the prophets were describing. In the meantime, in the TIME IN BETWEEN, they waited for God’s help.

In their impatience, God’s people looked again to their enemies for rescue instead of looking to their God. These enemies were receiving their own message from the prophets foretelling the wrath of God they were about to experience. Because they chose to battle God’s people, destruction and punishment would be in their future. Yet Israel foolishly looked to Egypt for rescue, begging them for a supply of horses for their army (2 Kings 18:24). But God desired for them to call upon His name and look to Him for help in the midst of trouble.

This is what the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel, says:
“Only in returning to me and resting in me will you be saved.
In quietness and confidence is your strength.
But you would have none of it.
You said, ‘No, we will get our help from Egypt.
They will give us swift horses riding into battle.’…

So the Lord must wait for you to COME TO HIM so he can show you his love and compassion.
For the Lord is a faithful God. Blessed are those who wait for his help. – Isaiah 30:15-16a, 18

How often do I get impatient waiting on God and try to make things happen through another source or my own strength? I need to stop reaching out to “Egypt” and come to God with a willingness to WAIT for his help…in his time…his way.

He will be gracious if you ASK for help.
He will surely respond to the sound of your cries.
Though the Lord gave you adversity for food and suffering for drink,
HE WILL STILL BE WITH YOU to teach you.
You will see your teacher with your own eyes. Your own ears will hear him.
Right behind you a voice will say, “This is the way you should go,” whether to the right or to the left.
Then you will destroy all your silver idols and your precious gold images.
You will throw them out like filthy rags, saying to them “Good riddance!” – Isaiah 30:19-22

It is time to throw out MY plans and MY idols – all of the things in my life that I have made more important than waiting on God. It’s time to throw them out and say, “Good riddance! I choose God!”

Lord, I come to you for protection; save me and rescue me. Turn your ear to listen to me and set me free. Be my rock of safety where I can always hide, for you are my rock and my fortress. You alone are my hope and I trust in you. From my mother’s womb you have cared for me so I choose to praise you always — in every circumstance. My enemies jump in to take advantage of my weak moments, but I will keep on hoping for your help; I will praise you more and more. I choose to constantly tell others about the wonderful things you do for me. Who can compare to you, O God? [Psalm 71]

Today’s Reading: Isaiah 17–26

Why? Because you have turned from the God who can save you. You have forgotten the Rock who can hide you. – Isaiah 17:10a

One of the biggest problems with the nation of Israel was their tendency to rely on anything and everyone except the God who had shown them His provision time and time again. God had been faithful but His people insisted on keeping their eyes on earthly sources of protection and provision.

Then the Philistines will be thrown into panic, for they counted on the power of Ethiopia and boasted of their allies in Egypt! They will say, “If this can happen to Egypt, what chance do we have? We were counting on Egypt to protect us from the king of Assyria.” – Isaiah 20:5-6

What happens when people disappoint us; what happens when our earthly sources are depleted? God has given us the freedom to choose and we find ourselves turning to other people for comfort or wisdom. God has shown His great love for us, but we rely on earthly governments to protect us and human relationships to fill our needs.

You run to the armory for your weapons.
You inspect the breaks in the walls of Jerusalem.
You store up water in the lower pool.
You survey houses and tear some down for stone to strengthen the walls.
Between the city walls, you build a reservoir for water from the old pool.
But you never ask for help from the One who did all this.
You never considered the One who planned this long ago. – Isaiah 22:8b-11

My heart longs to experience everything God is preparing for those who put their trust in Him. Thank you, Father, for the reminder this morning that you and you alone can meet my every need. I thank you for the perfect peace you give when we fix our thoughts on you!

You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you!
Trust in the Lord always, for the Lord God is the eternal Rock. – Isaiah 26:3-4

O Lord, I will honor and praise your name, for you are my God.
You do such wonderful things!
You planned them long ago, and now you have accomplished them…
You are a tower of refuge to the poor, O Lord, a tower of refuge to the needy in distress.
You are a refuge from the storm and a shelter from the heat…
You silence the roar of foreign nations…
In Jerusalem, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies will spread a wonderful feast for all the people of the world.
It will be a delicious banquet with clear, well-aged wine and choice meat.
There he will remove the cloud of gloom, the shadow of death that hangs over the earth.
He will swallow up death forever!
The Sovereign Lord will wipe away all tears. – Isaiah 25:1,4-8

Your promises are true every morning. Thank you, Lord, for faithfully meeting us again with the truth found in your word. Today we join Isaiah in praying the words found in chapter 26:

But for those who are righteous, the way is not steep or rough.
You are a God who does what is right, and you smooth out the path ahead of them.
Lord, we show our trust in you by obeying your laws; our heart’s desire is to glorify your name.
All night long I search for you; in the morning I earnestly seek for God. – Isaiah 26:7-9a

Today’s Reading: Isaiah 13-16; Psalms 44, 47

Hear the noise on the mountains!
Listen, as the vast armies march!
It is the noise and shouting of many nations.
The Lord of Heaven’s Armies has called this army together.
They come from distant countries, from beyond the farthest horizons.
They are the Lord’s weapons to carry out his anger.
With them he will destroy the whole land. – Isaiah 13:4-5

God used Isaiah to inform His people that they would go through a time of punishment for all their years of unfaithfulness. He would use their enemies to carry out the consequences of their disobedience. But He also let them know that He would eventually punish those nations for their harsh treatment of His children. He would gather together his army from all across the universe to disperse his judgment on the pagan nations who were lording their power over His people.

Babylon’s days are numbered; its time of destruction will soon arrive. – Isaiah 13:22b

Those who captured Israel will themselves be captured, and Israel will rule over its enemies. – Isaiah 14:2b

Now the Lord says, “Within three years, counting each day, the glory of Moab will be ended. From its great population, only a few of his people will be left alive.” – Isaiah 16:14

Even in the midst of His anger and disappointment with the repeated disloyalty of the children of Israel, God showed Himself to be their Great Protector. Yes they would have to suffer the consequences of their selfish choices and deliberate sins, but He promised the day would come when they would be restored and their enemies would be defeated.

IN THE MIDST OF THEIR PAIN, HE GAVE THEM HOPE!

Come, everyone! Clap your hands! Shout to God with joyful praise!
For the Lord Most High is awesome. He is the great King of all the earth.
He subdues the nations before us, putting our enemies beneath our feet. – Psalm 47:1-3

It was your right hand and strong arm
and the blinding light from your face that helped them,
for you loved them.
You are my King and my God.
You command victories for Israel.
Only by your power can we push back our enemies;
only in your name can we trample our foes.
I do not trust in my bow;
I do not count on my sword to save me.
You are the one who gives us victory over our enemies;
you disgrace those who hate us.
O God, we give glory to you all day long
and constantly praise your name. – Psalm 44:3b-8

Father God, may the truths we find in your scripture confirm to us how good you are. May your character be clearly seen, even while we are struggling to understand what is going on around us. May we learn to trust you through the difficult times and fully believe that you are our Great Protector and our Faithful Friend. Thanks for reminding us that the same God who loves us enough to get our attention when we have strayed is the One who will pull our enemies off of us and stand us back on our feet. With your right hand and your strong arm, as well as the blinding light from your face, you will help us because you love us. Thank you for that kind of grace! Amen.

Today’s Reading: 2 Kings 18; Isaiah 9-12; 2 Chronicles 29-31; Psalm 100

Enter his gates with thanksgiving; go into his courts with praise.
Give thanks to him and praise his name. For the Lord is good.
His unfailing love continues forever, and his faithfulness continues to each generation. – Psalm 100:4-5

Hezekiah, the son of Ahaz, was 25 years old when he became the next king of Judah. He behaved in ways that were pleasing to the Lord, removing pagan shrines and also breaking the bronze serpent to which God’s people were offering sacrifices (2 Kings 18:1-4). He repaired the Temple and reopened its doors, calling his country to return to the Lord in submission.

“For if you return to the Lord, your relatives and your children will be treated mercifully by their captors, and they will be able to return to this land. For the Lord your God is gracious and merciful. If you return to him, he will not continue to turn his face from you.” – 2 Chronicles 30:9

THE LORD YOUR GOD IS GRACIOUS AND MERCIFUL.

Hezekiah trusted in the Lord and remained faithful in everything he did, carefully obeying all the commands the Lord had given Moses. Hezekiah brought back the celebration of Passover and required his people to tithe so they would devote themselves fully to the Law of the Lord (2 Chron. 31:4). And here’s the good part – So the Lord was with him and Hezekiah was successful in everything he did (2 Kings 18:7).

In this way, King Hezekiah handled the distribution throughout all Judah, doing what was pleasing and good in the sight of the Lord his God. In all that he did in the service of the Temple of God and in his efforts to follow God’s laws and commands, Hezekiah sought his God WHOLEHEARTEDLY. As a result, he was very successful. – 2 Chron. 31:20-21

Oh the blessings God bestows on those who faithfully obey Him! He longs to generously pour out His love on His people when they follow Him in obedience. Do you recognize the many ways in which God is blessing your obedience?

THE EVIDENCE THAT GOD CARES FOR YOU IS ALL AROUND. DO YOU SEE IT?

“Even an ox knows its owner, and a donkey recognizes its master’s care – but Israel doesn’t know its master. My people don’t recognize my care for them.” – Isaiah 1:3

I wonder how often I fail to recognize God’s blessings in my life – His care for me. This morning I long to wrap my mind around how incredible God is toward me DAILY! My prayer is that the death of Christ and His resurrection continues to get our attention; that we are able to recognize God’s favor and His care and that our hearts will respond in sincere thanksgiving toward our Creator, Provider and Friend.

“I will praise you, O Lord!
You were angry with me, but not anymore. Now you comfort me.
See, God has come to save me.
I will trust in him and not be afraid.
The Lord God is my strength and my song, he has given me victory.” – Isaiah 12:1-2

O Lord, I will honor and praise your name, for you are my God.
You do such wonderful things!
You planned them long ago, and now you have accomplished them. – Isaiah 25:1

You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you!
Trust in the Lord always, for the Lord God is the eternal rock…
For those who are righteous, the way is not steep and rough.
You are a God who does what is right, and you smooth out the path ahead of them.
Lord, we show our trust in you by obeying your laws;
Our heart’s desire is to glorify your name.
All night long I search for you;
In the morning I earnestly seek for God. – Isaiah 26:3-4,7-9a

I love that last verse. It describes how I wake up in the morning – with a longing to hear from God. He is so faithful to meet us when we turn to Him!

EVERY GOOD AND WONDERFUL THING IN MY LIFE IS A GIFT FROM GOD!

Oh Lord, thank you so much for your tender care of me. When I am scared or lonely, you comfort me. When I am happy, it is because you have filled me with your joy. As I start a new day, I trust in you for what is ahead. You are my eternal rock and I long to fix my thoughts on you and stay there. The road ahead is unknown but I believe the way will not be steep or rough, for you will smooth out the path ahead for me. Glory to God in the Highest! Praise His Name!!!

Shout with joy to the Lord, all the earth!
Worship the Lord with gladness.
Come before him, singing with joy.
Acknowledge that the Lord is God!
He made us, and we are his.
We are his people, the sheep of his pasture. – Psalm 100:1-3

Today’s Reading: Isaiah 3-8; Psalm 39

King Ahaz and the people were trembling with fear and the Lord sent Isaiah to them. He had this message for the king: Stop worrying. Stand firm. You do not need to fear the fierce anger of other nations. But unless your faith is firm, I cannot make you stand firm (Isaiah 7:2-9).

God said: “Ask the Lord your God for a sign of confirmation, Ahaz. Make it as difficult as you want – as high as heaven or as deep as the place of the dead.”

But the king refused. “No,” he said, “I will not test the Lord like that.”

Then Isaiah said, “Listen well, you royal family of David! Isn’t it enough to exhaust human patience? Must you exhaust the patience of my God as well? All right then, the Lord himself will give you a sign. Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel (which means ‘God is with us’). By the time this child is old enough to choose what is right and reject what is wrong, he will be eating yogurt and honey. For before the child is that old, the lands of the two kings you fear so much will both be deserted.” – Isaiah 7:11-16

DO YOU NEED A SIGN FROM GOD?

Do you need confirmation that your God is trustworthy and wants to restore you? Are you trembling with fear and in need of faith so that God can help you stand firm against what you are facing? Look – the sign you are seeking is in His Son, Jesus Christ. Christ is risen; He is risen indeed.

“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of Jacob’s God.
There he will teach us his ways, and we will walk in his paths.” – Isaiah 2:3b

Make the Lord of Heaven’s Armies holy in your life.
He is the One you should fear.
He is the One who should make you tremble.
He will keep you safe…

May this be our testimony today, no matter what we are facing:

I will wait for the Lord…I will put my hope in him. – Isaiah 8:13-14a,17

“Lord, remind me how brief my time on earth will be.
Remind me that my days are numbered – how fleeting my life is.
You have made my life no longer than the width of my hand.
My entire lifetime is just a moment to you; at best, each of us is but a breath.”

We are merely moving shadows, and all our busy rushing ends in nothing.
We heap up wealth, not knowing who will spend it.
And so, Lord, where do I put my hope?
My only hope is in you.
Rescue me from my rebellion… – Psalm 39:4-8a

Let all that I am wait quietly before God, for my hope is in him.
He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress where I will not be shaken. – Psalm 62:5-6

Today’s Reading: 2 Chronicles 27-28, Isaiah 1-2

Ahaz was twenty years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem 16 years. He did NOT do what was pleasing in the sight of the Lord, as his ancestor David had done…Because of all this, the Lord his God allowed the king of Aram to defeat Ahaz and to exile large numbers of his people to Damascus. The armies of the king of Israel also defeated Ahaz and inflicted many casualties on his army…At that time King Ahaz of Judah asked the king of Assyria for help…Even during this time of trouble, King Ahaz continued to reject the Lord. – 2 Chronicles 28:1,5,16,22

BUT SHOULDN’T PEOPLE ASK GOD FOR GUIDANCE?

Should the living seek guidance from the dead? Look to God’s instructions and teachings! – Isaiah 8:19b-20a

Ahaz was still a young man when he became king of Judah, so naturally he looked to others for help. But why not look to the One who held the plan? Why not trust in God for rescue? It was during this time in Judah’s history that God called the prophet Isaiah to speak His message loud and clear: You CAN depend on God and it is foolishness to trust in anything or anyone else but God!

Don’t put your trust in mere humans.
They are as frail as breath. What good are they? – Isaiah 2:22

The horrible time that Judah was experiencing was a consequence of their sin. They needed the reminder that we serve a God who is able to break the power of sin and help us survive the mess we have made. When we look around and trouble surrounds us, when all we can see is the result of bad decisions and sinful actions, we can know that OUR GOD IS THERE TO GUIDE US OUT OF THE PREDICAMENT WE FIND OURSELVES IN. The secret is to surrender and trust in God so that we can experience the grace that rescues God’s people from the consequences of their sins.

“Come now, let’s settle this,” says the Lord.
Though your sins are like scarlet, I will make them white as snow.
Though they are red like crimson, I will make them as white as wool.
If you will only obey me…” – Isaiah 1:18-19a

WHY DO WE PUT OUR TRUST IN HUMANS.

God’s grace and mercy are calling out to us. He is eager to wash us clean and restore our relationship with Him. So what keeps us from running back into His arms? Why do we turn to other people or to other solutions for help when our Creator and loving Father is beckoning us? Is it pride? Do we struggle to find the humility needed to repent of our sins?

Human pride will be brought down, and human arrogance will be humbled.
Only the Lord will be exalted on the day of judgment.
For the Lord of Heaven’s Armies has a day of reckoning.
He will punish the proud and mighty and bring down everything that is exalted…
Human pride will be humbled and human arrogance will be brought down.
Only the Lord will be exalted on that day of judgment. – Isaiah 2:11-12,17