AVOIDING COMPLACENCY
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Opening Prayer
Father, please speak to me through your Word today. I need to hear whatever you would say to me.
Read ISAIAH 32
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Isaiah
Isaiah 32
The Kingdom of Righteousness
1 See, a king will reign in righteousness
and rulers will rule with justice.
2 Each one will be like a shelter from the wind
and a refuge from the storm,
like streams of water in the desert
and the shadow of a great rock in a thirsty land.
3 Then the eyes of those who see will no longer be closed,
and the ears of those who hear will listen.
4 The fearful heart will know and understand,
and the stammering tongue will be fluent and clear.
5 No longer will the fool be called noble
nor the scoundrel be highly respected.
6 For fools speak folly,
their hearts are bent on evil:
They practice ungodliness
and spread error concerning the LORD;
the hungry they leave empty
and from the thirsty they withhold water.
7 Scoundrels use wicked methods,
they make up evil schemes
to destroy the poor with lies,
even when the plea of the needy is just.
8 But the noble make noble plans,
and by noble deeds they stand.
The Women of Jerusalem
9 You women who are so complacent,
rise up and listen to me;
you daughters who feel secure,
hear what I have to say!
10 In little more than a year
you who feel secure will tremble;
the grape harvest will fail,
and the harvest of fruit will not come.
11 Tremble, you complacent women;
shudder, you daughters who feel secure!
Strip off your fine clothes
and wrap yourselves in rags.
12 Beat your breasts for the pleasant fields,
for the fruitful vines
13 and for the land of my people,
a land overgrown with thorns and briers—
yes, mourn for all houses of merriment
and for this city of revelry.
14 The fortress will be abandoned,
the noisy city deserted;
citadel and watchtower will become a wasteland forever,
the delight of donkeys, a pasture for flocks,
15 till the Spirit is poured on us from on high,
and the desert becomes a fertile field,
and the fertile field seems like a forest.
16 The LORD’s justice will dwell in the desert,
his righteousness live in the fertile field.
17 The fruit of that righteousness will be peace;
its effect will be quietness and confidence forever.
18 My people will live in peaceful dwelling places,
in secure homes,
in undisturbed places of rest.
19 Though hail flattens the forest
and the city is leveled completely,
20 how blessed you will be,
sowing your seed by every stream,
and letting your cattle and donkeys range free.
Reflect
If God removed from you all of the things you haven’t thanked him for, what would you be missing?God’s promises often come with indications of how his people should respond, and this chapter is a good example of that.
First, he promises a time when leaders will rule in a way that brings peace and safety. Truth and wisdom will be restored and will be honored throughout the world. However, verses 9—14 tell us that this time will not come quietly and gently—there will be great turmoil before the arrival of peace. God’s people are warned not to be complacent. Just because we know it will all come right in the end doesn’t mean we can simply sit back and wait.
Through Isaiah, God speaks to those who are getting their sense of security from earthly things—years of good harvests, perhaps, leading to an abundance of money and food. For us, maybe it is a steady job or our relationships. These things are good, and gifts from God, but if they were all stripped away, would our faith still stand strong, or would we be cast into despair? We must ensure that our trust is in the right place: in God alone.
Apply
It can be challenging to strike a balance between enjoying God’s blessings and not seeing them as our sole source of security and ultimate happiness. One way to avoid complacency is to thank God for his gifts often and ask him to help us hold them lightly. Do so now.
Closing prayer
Lord, as I thank you for the countless blessings that come from your hand, I ask that you help me to always see them as gifts to be used for your glory.
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