Today’s Reading: Isaiah 54-55
Morning by morning he wakens me and opens my understanding to his will.
The Sovereign Lord has spoken to me and I have listened…
Because the Sovereign Lord helps me, I will not be disgraced.
Therefore, I have set my face like a stone, determined to do his will. – Isaiah 50:4b-5a,7
Some days the weight of my job rests heavy on my shoulders. I find myself praying for God to equip me for the difficult decisions ahead. I ask Him to fill me with His Spirit and give me wisdom for the work to which He has called me. Morning by morning, I wake up and spend time in God’s presence asking Him to teach me and to guide me. I cling to God’s promises found in Scripture, including this one:
“I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you.” – Psalm 32:8
THE LORD IS OUR TEACHER AND OUR COUNSELOR.
This morning I walked into God’s presence with a desire to understand His greater plan and to be instructed by Him in the way I should go. The following verses are a help to me, and I pray that God uses them in your specific situation today. May the words of the Lord wash over you this morning, awakening your understanding of both His invitation to follow Him and His great love for you!
“I am the Lord your God, who TEACHES you what is good for you and LEADS you along the paths you should follow.” – Isaiah 48:17b
“At just the right time, I will RESPOND to you…” – Isaiah 49:8a
Yet Jerusalem says, “The Lord has deserted us; the Lord has forgotten us.”
“Never! Can a mother forget her nursing child?
Can she feel no love for the child she has borne?
But even if that was possible, I would not forget you!
See, I have written your name on the palms of my hands.” – Isaiah 49:14-16a
THE LORD HAS NOT FORGOTTEN YOU NOR WILL HE EVER ABANDON YOU.
If you are walking in darkness, without a ray of light, trust in the Lord and rely on your God.
But watch out, you who live in your own light and warm yourselves by your own fires. – Isaiah 50:10b-11
What a great reminder to me when I am tempted to solve my own problems, make my own decisions, or look for advice from other people instead of praying for wisdom from God. To do that would be to rely on myself — to live in my own light and warm myself by my own fire. The moment I think I have all the answers is the moment I pull my hand out of the hand of God and start making a mess of things.
“Come to me with your ears wide open.
Listen, and you will find life.
I will make an everlasting covenant with you.
I will give you all the unfailing love I promised to David.” – Isaiah 55:3
TRUST IN THE LORD AND RELY ON YOUR GOD. COME TO THE FIRE AND REST IN HIS UNFAILING LOVE.
Oh Lord, I long to come to your fire, to be warmed by your presence and to walk in your light! The book of Isaiah has reminded me again this morning that you have had a plan for me since before I was born. Today you remind me that you are available to teach me and give me wisdom for the task you have set before me. Thank you, Father, for your generosity and your faithful presence. I don’t have to warm myself by my own fire or accomplish anything by my own strength today. I needed to be reminded of that simple truth. Why drink water when I can drink the more expensive wisdom that comes freely from you?! Today I choose to listen to you and trust that your ways are much better than mine. I trust you to teach me, instruct me, counsel me and watch over me. Thank you for the invitation to come to the fire. Amen.
Seek the Lord while you can find him.
Call on him now while he is near…
“My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord.
“And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine.
For just as the heavens are higher than the earth,
so my ways are higher than your ways
and my thoughts are higher than your thoughts.” – Isaiah 55:6-9