I LOVE YOU, TOMORROW
Opening Prayer
Please show me something to challenge me in your Word today, Father; help me to apply it in my walk with you and in my ministry to others.
Read ISAIAH 32
For additional translations of the passage, use this link to Bible Gateway.
The Kingdom of Righteousness
32 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.
New International Version (NIV)Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Reflect
Take two minutes to sit in silence before the Lord. He may speak to you, or he may not, but he is with you.In the northern hemisphere, winter has now properly taken hold. Many trees are entirely bare, their branches dead-looking wooden sticks; birds and insects are quiet and hidden. It is hard to conceive of the landscape in its full springtime glory, but the seasons continue to cycle.
There’s a cycle here too—sin, suffering, repentance and rescue, then back to sinning. The wealthy women of Jerusalem seemed to have forgotten what follows sin and they became complacent. Assyria was about to devastate their land—there was time to react if they had only paid attention, but they continued to happily swan about in their finery, blithely ignoring the ‘troublesome’ prophet.
At its worst, Judah must have seemed as dead as a tree in midwinter. How could life ever return? What hope of renewal could there be? The hope then, as now, rested on the shoulders of the righteous King (v. 1). Jesus came to announce his kingdom and one day he will return to bring peace: ‘quietness and confidence forever’ (v. 17) for people and the rest of creation. Our task is to live in full acceptance of the painful reality that is today, doing what we can to get ready for a better tomorrow.
Apply
Is there any danger about which you are being complacent? As you ask God to give you the courage to face it head-on with his truth, he won’t let you be crushed.
Closing prayer
In every challenge, Lord God, help me to remember that you are my help, your loving presence is with me, and your truth will enable me to stand firm. Help me to cling to you.
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