The resources God has given us to live a thriving life are His Word, Spirit, and People.
Read God’s Word:
Isaiah 59-63
Act 2: God’s Covenant People
Scene 7: Kings and Prophets: The southern kingdom as God’s people
Background Information: Isaiah 59-63
As foreign nations overwhelm God’s promised land and promised people, the people are prone to look for external solutions to their internal problems. Namely, God is failing to protect them. God makes it clear that he is not the problem; his arm is not too short to save. The problem is that God’s people continually turn away in sin from God. God will restore them and make them, as he originally intended, a light to the nations. God’s judgment will come from these foreign nations, but there is hope on the far side of this judgment. The final hope of the world is the promised Messiah. Seven centuries in the future, Jesus would enter the synagogue in his hometown of Nazareth, take the scroll of the prophet Isaiah, turn to what we call chapter sixty-one and read:
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
Luke 4:17-21
After reading, Jesus sat down, and with everyone’s eyes fixed on him, he said, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled.” They did not respond in faith; in fact, they attempted to murder him. It seems little has changed in all those years. Fast forward another two thousand plus years, and we continue to question God’s ability or willingness to protect and provide for us. God’s arm is not too short to save. He can reach through the ages, he can reach across space and time, and he can reach you in your situation. Repent of known sin, turn fully away from it, and turn back to God. Then, completely trust him with your life. You don’t have to fully understand God to fully trust him. He has done enough to show us that he is worthy of our trust.
Pray:
Praise God for…
Thank God for…
Confess your sins to God
Pray for Sarah as she returns to Central Asia from a conference about the “local church.” Pray for God to make it clear to her how to apply some of the things she learned.
Ask God for… (what else concerns you?)
Reflect:
Write down one passage of scripture that stood out to you today.
Write down why this passage stood out to you.
Engage Community:
Text or call someone now and tell them…
– What you are praying for.
– What stood out from God’s word today.