Fasting

Readings for today: Isaiah 58-60, Psalms 119:153-176

For years, I have practiced the discipline of fasting. I fast most days, typically eating one solid meal. In the past, I have fasted for 24 hours. 48 hours. Even a week or more on occasion. Typically, my fasts involve abstaining from food. I think that’s how most of us think about it. However, today’s reading introduces a new idea to the mix. Fasting from wickedness. Fasting from injustice. Fasting from unrighteousness. Fasting from the self-centered life. In the same way fasting from food makes us more aware of our need to depend on God for our daily bread, fasting from wickedness makes us more hungry and thirsty for righteousness.

Why do I fast? It’s a question I often get asked. Honestly, because it feels good. My mind is more sharp. My emotional health is more regulated. My physical body is more healthy. When my doctor does my blood work, he often remarks at how good the numbers appear. However, far more important is the condition of my soul and that’s where “fasting from wickedness” comes in. When I identify sinful thoughts, attitudes, and actions and begin to address them in my life through intentional fasting, I find myself drawing closer to God. Sin erects a barrier between us. It alienates and creates emotional and spiritual distance. It hardens the heart and callouses the soul. This is why God is so passionate about repentance. He knows the damage unchecked sin can do to a person.

Isaiah calls us to fast from the sin that so easily entangles us as human beings. In addition, he calls us to take up those disciplines and practices that lead to life and blessing not only for us as individuals but for the entire community. Listen to what God says again through His prophet, “Isn’t this the fast I choose: To break the chains of wickedness, to untie the ropes of the yoke, to set the oppressed free, and to tear off every yoke? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, to bring the poor and homeless into your house, to clothe the naked when you see him, and not to ignore your own flesh and blood? Then your light will appear like the dawn, and your recovery will come quickly. Your righteousness will go before you, and the Lord’s glory will be your rear guard. At that time, when you call, the Lord will answer; when you cry out, he will say, ‘Here I am.’ If you get rid of the yoke among you, the finger-pointing and malicious speaking, and if you offer yourself to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted one, then your light will shine in the darkness, and your night will be like noonday. The Lord will always lead you, satisfy you in a parched land, and strengthen your bones. You will be like a watered garden and like a spring whose water never runs dry. Some of you will rebuild the ancient ruins; you will restore the foundations laid long ago; you will be called the repairer of broken walls, the restorer of streets where people live. If you keep from desecrating the Sabbath, from doing whatever you want on my holy day; if you call the Sabbath a delight, and the holy day of the Lord honorable; if you honor it, not going your own ways, seeking your own pleasure, or talking business; then you will delight in the Lord, and I will make you ride over the heights of the land, and let you enjoy the heritage of your father Jacob.” For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.” (Isaiah‬ ‭58‬:‭6‬-‭14‬ ‭CSB‬‬)

I have to say that all of the promises of God listed in this passage have come true for me. As I have dedicated my life to breaking the chains of wickedness and setting the oppressed free, sharing my bread with the hungry and helping the poor and powerless; the light of Christ has shined brighter and brighter in and through me. I have met strangers who have heard of the work I have the privilege to be involved in both locally and globally. And God’s glory has protected me in so many ways. God has always strengthened me, even in hard times. He has always been there, even when I’m struggling. He has used me to help rebuild ruins and restore foundations. My life is an absolute testimony to His grace. Does this mean I get everything I want? No. Does it mean I never have a care or worry in the world? Absolutely not true. Does it mean I have been given great wealth and influence and power? Not at all. I’m just a guy. Just an ordinary, everyday person trying his best to be faithful. I make more than my fair share of mistakes but God is faithful to use me despite myself and my sin. Trust me when I tell you He wants to do the same with you.

Readings for tomorrow: Isaiah 61-64, Psalms 120

Communion

Readings for today: Isaiah 55-57, Psalms 119:129-152

When I was in seminary, I had the privilege of getting to know Tom Gillespie. Tom had been the President of Princeton Theological Seminary for almost twenty years when I first met him. As you might imagine, he carried a lot of responsibilities and found himself pulled in many different directions as he navigated fundraising, administrative and academic leadership, and stewarding the influence and reputation of one of the top theological institutions in the world. One of the things I appreciated most about Tom is he always made time to teach as well as preach and lead worship in chapel. I took several classes from him and got to know him pretty well. He became a mentor and friend. Most of all, I loved how he led our weekly communion service on campus.

Tom always used the words of Isaiah 55 to invite us to the Lord’s Table. “Come, everyone who is thirsty, come to the water; and you without silver, come, buy, and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without silver and without cost! Why do you spend silver on what is not food, and your wages on what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to me, and eat what is good, and you will enjoy the choicest of foods. Pay attention and come to me; listen, so that you will live.” (Isaiah 55:1-3a CSB) It was a beautiful invocation that called all kinds of images to mind. He reminded me of my thirst for living water. He reminded me of the blessed state of my spiritual poverty. He reminded me of my hunger for righteousness. Not only did he remind me of my needy condition but he pointed me to the only place where I could be filled…the Table of the Lord. There God presents us with the choicest of foods…the body and blood of His only Son. There Christ is spiritually present to us in the bread and the wine. There all are welcome to find new life in Him.

One of the things I found most compelling about Tom was his deep trust in the faithfulness of God. Despite all the challenges he faced and the anxieties he had to manage and the conflict both inside and outside the seminary over the future of the church and seminary education, Tom never wavered. I asked him one time why he could maintain such a sense of calm in the midst of so much uncertainty. He smiled, looked at me, and said, “Doug, God has preserved His church for 2000 years. Do you honestly think He’s at all challenged by what’s happening here at Princeton?” We both shared a chuckle at the truth of his wise words. Tom encouraged me to read the rest of Isaiah 55 and lay hold of the promises of God. “I will make a permanent covenant with you on the basis of the faithful kindnesses of David. Since I have made him a witness to the peoples, a leader and commander for the peoples, so you will summon a nation you do not know, and nations who do not know you will run to you. For the Lord your God, even the Holy One of Israel, has glorified you. Seek the Lord while he may be found; call to him while he is near. Let the wicked one abandon his way and the sinful one his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, so he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will freely forgive. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, and your ways are not my ways.” This is the Lord’s declaration. “For as heaven is higher than earth, so my ways are higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. For just as rain and snow fall from heaven and do not return there without saturating the earth and making it germinate and sprout, and providing seed to sow and food to eat, so my word that comes from my mouth will not return to me empty, but it will accomplish what I please and will prosper in what I send it to do. You will indeed go out with joy and be peacefully guided; the mountains and the hills will break into singing before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands. Instead of the thornbush, a cypress will come up, and instead of the brier, a myrtle will come up; this will stand as a monument for the Lord, an everlasting sign that will not be destroyed.” (Isaiah‬ ‭55‬:‭13b-‭13‬ ‭CSB‬‬) God has a plan for this world. God has a plan for His people. God has a plan for His church. God has a plan for my life. I simply need to humbly walk with open hands before Him.

Readings for tomorrow: Isaiah 58-60, Psalms 119:153-176

The Cost of Reconciliation

Readings for today: Isaiah 52-54, Psalms 119:97-128

I am extremely blessed to be friends with a man named John Rucyahana. John is a retired Anglican bishop who chairs the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in Rwanda. For almost thirty years, he has been engaged in helping his country recover from the horrific genocide in 1994. As such, he has wrestled deeply with the question, “Where was God as over one million people were being slaughtered?” And here is his answer in his own words, “Where was God when a million innocent people were being butchered? Where was God when priests and pastors helped massacre the people in their churches? I’ll tell you where God was. He was alongside the victims lying on the cold stone floor of the cathedral. He was comforting a dying child. He was crying at the altar. But He was also saving lives. Many were saved by miracles. God does not flee when evil takes over a nation...God is the giver of eternal life, and He can bring great good out of any situation. He raises the dead; He can also raise the broken. He can restore their hearts and minds and lift their spirits to renewed life. In my country God is doing this today by the thousands. There is so much pain here, so many real tears, and so much guilt that our ministry is like preaching hope from the top of a pile of bones. From atop a mountain of mutilated bodies, we are stretching a hand upward to proclaim a message of transformation and recovery.” (The Bishop of Rwanda ) 

I cannot fathom the journey so many in his country endured. The horror. The pain. The suffering. It’s immense. Indescribable. Beyond words. And yet, I would argue the forgiveness and reconciliation they have found is equally, if not more, profound. When I visited the country several years ago, I asked a woman if she was ethnic Tutsi or Hutu. “Neither” was her reply. “Here we are all Rwandan.” She went on to describe some of the hell she and her family had been through and the freedom they had found through forgiveness. Only Jesus could provide such grace. Only Jesus could give them such strength. How can I be so sure? Because Jesus knows the depths of human suffering. He experienced the absolute worst this world has to offer. He knows evil intimately and through his death defeats it once and for all. Listen to how the ancient prophet Isaiah describes the suffering of Jesus, some hundreds of years before His death and resurrection…

“He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed...He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth...Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him; he has put him to grief; when his soul makes an offering for guilt, he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days; the will of the Lord shall prosper in his hand...Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong, because he poured out his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors.” (Isaiah‬ ‭53:3-5, 7, 10, 12‬)

The same God who bore the sins of many. The same God who makes intercession for transgressors. The same God who loved His enemies so much He died for them is the same God who is alive and active in Rwanda. Bringing about reconciliation through forgiveness. Preaching hope from atop a pile of His own bones. From atop His own mutilated body, He is stretching a hand upward to proclaim a message of transformation and grace. It’s truly incredible and it is available to all who would place their trust in Him. Friends, if God can bring about reconciliation between the victims and perpetrators of genocide in Rwanda can He not accomplish the same in our lives as well? Can He not bring together husband and wife on the verge of divorce? Can He not bring back together children and parents who’ve been estranged? Can He not help Democrats and Republicans find common ground? Can He not heal the racial tensions in our own country? These are just a few of the problems we face that only the gospel can solve. 

What is required? Repentance. Confession. Truth-telling. Courage. Faith. Humility. Most of all, a deep and abiding and enduring trust in the power of the gospel. 

Readings for tomorrow: Isaiah 55-57, Psalms 119:129-152

The Compassion of God

Readings for today: Isaiah 49-51, Psalms 119:65-96

There are some who struggle with a God who feels. A God who expresses deep emotions. A God who suffers with and alongside His people. They are uncomfortable because they want to protect God’s unchanging nature. They want to guard against anything that might threaten God’s immutability. They want to make sure God isn’t driven or influenced by anything or anyone outside of Himself. I get it. I really do. And yet I reject this understanding of God because it simply is not Biblical.

God clearly reveals Himself as a God of compassion. A God who cares deeply for His people like a mother does a child. A God who loves His people dearly and who will never let them go. A God who binds Himself to His people in an unbreakable covenant forever. God freely chose this path. He freely chose to define Himself as the God of Israel. The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. From beginning to end, God makes it clear that He will be our God and we will be His people. He walks with us in the Garden of Eden and He dwells with us in the New Jerusalem. Along the way, He provides Tabernacle and Temple as places where heaven and earth meet and now, after the resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ, He provides His Spirit to come and live in our hearts. This is who God is. This is who God has revealed Himself to be. He has shown Himself to be this kind of God and no other.

Listen to how Isaiah describes it in our readings for today. “This is what the Lord, the Redeemer of Israel, his Holy One, says to one who is despised, to one abhorred by people, to a servant of rulers: “Kings will see, princes will stand up, and they will all bow down because of the Lord, who is faithful, the Holy One of Israel  — and he has chosen you…This is what the Lord says: I will answer you in a time of favor, and I will help you in the day of salvation. I will keep you, and I will appoint you to be a covenant for the people, to restore the land, to make them possess the desolate inheritances…Shout for joy, you heavens! Earth, rejoice! Mountains break into joyful shouts! For the Lord has comforted his people, and will have compassion on his afflicted ones…Can a woman forget her nursing child, or lack compassion for the child of her womb? Even if these forget, yet I will not forget you. Look, I have inscribed you on the palms of my hands; your walls are continually before me…This is what the Lord God says: Look, I will lift up my hand to the nations, and raise my banner to the peoples. They will bring your sons in their arms, and your daughters will be carried on their shoulders. Kings will be your guardians and their queens your nursing mothers. They will bow down to you with their faces to the ground and lick the dust at your feet. Then you will know that I am the Lord; those who put their hope in me will not be put to shame…Then all humanity will know that I, the Lord, am your Savior, and your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.” (‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭49‬:‭7‬-‭8‬, ‭13‬, ‭15‬-‭16‬, ‭22‬-‭23‬, ‭26‬ ‭CSB)‬‬

I am not sure why we are so afraid to take God at His Word. I am not sure what makes us so uncomfortable with a God who feels so deeply. I get that God is “wholly other” and understand the need to make sure we aren’t remaking God in our own image but God is the only One who gets to define Himself. He is in charge of His own self-revelation. And He clearly makes Himself known as a God of compassion.

Readings for tomorrow: Isaiah 52-54, Psalms 119:97-128

The Sovereignty of God

Readings for today: Isaiah 45-48, Psalms 119:33-64

I recently was talking to a friend about my desire to plant churches in some of the hardest to reach places on earth. Places that are dangerous. Places that are full of darkness and violence and life-threatening poverty and despair. Places where it’s hard to get a visa to travel. Places where the US State Department has issued a “Level Four” travel advisory which essentially means “do not go.” Places where safety and security are not guaranteed. My friend works on anti-poverty issues on a global level and he knows these places. He’s been to some of these countries. And he knows some of the leaders there personally. He was sharing with me how some of these leaders have begun to have visions and dreams from God. They are being called to open their doors to Judaism and Christianity in order to bring the three great Abrahamic faiths together. They are asking him how it can happen. It’s a powerful reminder of God’s sovereignty over the nations of the earth.

In today’s reading, God declares His sovereignty over Cyrus the Great. Cyrus believes he is conquering the world through his own strength. Cyrus believes his own god is giving him great success as former empires like Babylon fall before him. Cyrus believes his military genius and exceptional leadership ability is winning the day. Isaiah looks at all that will happen and sees a different power at work. Though Cyrus doesn’t know God, God knows him. God is using him to bring about His judgment on Babylon. God will use him to bring his people from exile back home. God will give Cyrus what he needs to be successful though he has not earned it and does not worship the true and living God. God will do this for the sake of His beloved Israel. “I will go before you and level the uneven places; I will shatter the bronze doors and cut the iron bars in two. I will give you the treasures of darkness and riches from secret places, so that you may know that I am the Lord. I am the God of Israel, who calls you by your name. I call you by your name, for the sake of my servant Jacob and Israel my chosen one. I give a name to you, though you do not know me. I am the Lord, and there is no other; there is no God but me. I will strengthen you, though you do not know me, so that all may know from the rising of the sun to its setting that there is no one but me. I am the Lord, and there is no other. I form light and create darkness, I make success and create disaster; I am the Lord, who does all these things.” (Isaiah‬ ‭45‬:‭2‬-‭7‬ ‭CSB‬‬)

It’s hard for us to look around the world today and see God’s sovereign plan at work. We have this false notion that if God is good then He will relieve all suffering. He will protect us from all pain. He will heal every heartbreak. He will cause every war and act of violence to cease. At the same time, we refuse to bow the knee to Him. We refuse to submit to Him. We do not want Him to control our lives or tell us what to do. We want to be free to make our own decisions and choose the course of our lives. Friends, we cannot have it both ways. The Bible is clear. God is working His sovereign will out on the earth. He will bring His plans to pass. “By myself I have sworn; truth has gone from my mouth, a word that will not be revoked: Every knee will bow to me, every tongue will swear allegiance.” (Isaiah‬ ‭45‬:‭23‬ ‭CSB‬‬) But He will do this through His people. He will accomplish this in spite of our sinfulness and rebellion. He will achieve His perfect ends through imperfect vessels like you and me. He will use even those who do not know Him to bring about His will on the earth. “I declare the end from the beginning, and from long ago what is not yet done, saying: my plan will take place, and I will do all my will.” (Isaiah‬ ‭46‬:‭10‬ ‭CSB‬‬)

God is not limited by us in any way. God is not subject to our fleeting desires or ever-changing feelings. He is not at the mercy of our weaknesses nor is He threatened by our vulnerabilities. God is God. He rules and reigns above it all. He is more than able to bring to completion the good work He has begun. His plan will come to pass. He will do His will. The question is how soon will we submit to Him?

Readings for tomorrow: Isaiah 49-51, Psalms 119:65-96

Ask the Right Question

Readings for today: Isaiah 39-41, Psalms 118

Over the last two weeks, I had the privilege of spending time with some of the great men and women of the faith. Men and women who put their lives on the line every single day to preach the gospel. Men and women who risk it all as they seek to expand the Kingdom of God on earth. They give up homes. They give up families. They give up livelihoods. They leave their communities and go to far away places. They cross tribal and language barriers. They lay it all on the line for Jesus. I long ago stopped asking why. The answer is obvious. Jesus is more than enough for them. Lately, I’ve been asking how. How can they do these things? Where do they find the strength? Where do they find the courage? Where do they find the hope to endure the persecution and hardship and suffering? Today’s passage from Isaiah gives us the answer.

It begins with the call of God to every single man and woman of faith. Not just pastors. Not just church leaders. Not just gifted evangelists. Every single man or woman who calls on the name of Jesus and places their faith in Him is called by God to share the gospel with those around them. And as we do, the power of God Himself works through us to lift up every valley, tear down every mountain, and make straight every path so those who do not yet know God may come to faith in Him. “A voice of one crying out: Prepare the way of the Lord in the wilderness; make a straight highway for our God in the desert. Every valley will be lifted up, and every mountain and hill will be leveled; the uneven ground will become smooth and the rough places, a plain. And the glory of the Lord will appear, and all humanity together will see it, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.” (Isaiah‬ ‭40‬:‭3‬-‭5‬ ‭CSB‬‬)

This call comes with a promise. We are not alone in this work. God goes with us and before us and will accomplish it through us. Listen to all the promises He makes in Isaiah 41. “Who has stirred up someone from the east? In righteousness he calls him to serve. The Lord hands nations over to him, and he subdues kings. He makes them like dust with his sword, like wind-driven stubble with his bow….Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you; I will help you; I will hold on to you with my righteous right hand….You will look for those who contend with you, but you will not find them. Those who war against you will become absolutely nothing….See, I will make you into a sharp threshing board, new, with many teeth. You will thresh mountains and pulverize them and make hills into chaff. You will winnow them and a wind will carry them away, a whirlwind will scatter them. But you will rejoice in the Lord; you will boast in the Holy One of Israel…I will open rivers on the barren heights, and springs in the middle of the plains. I will turn the desert into a pool and dry land into springs. I will plant cedar, acacia, myrtle, and olive trees in the wilderness. I will put juniper, elm, and cypress trees together in the desert, so that all may see and know, consider and understand, that the hand of the Lord has done this, the Holy One of Israel has created it.” (Isaiah‬ ‭41‬:‭2‬, ‭10‬, ‭12‬, ‭15‬-‭16‬, ‭18‬-‭20‬ ‭CSB‬‬) Over and over again, God promises to protect. Promises to provide. Promises to guide. Promises to work miracles through His people all for His glory. God is making His name known throughout the earth. God will not rest until every corner of the globe has heard the name of Jesus. God is working even now to make sure every knee bows and every tongue confesses to the glory of God the Father. This is His great plan and He invites us to be part of it!

We get so caught up asking God, “Why?” I want us to shift our question. Instead of asking “why”, ask God “how?” How can I do your will? How can I accomplish what you desire for me? How can I proclaim this gospel to my family, friends, neighbors, co-workers? How can I do what you’ve called me to do right now, in this moment, even today?

Readings for tomorrow: Isaiah 42-44, Psalms 119:1-32 (No devotionals on Sundays)

Motivation

Readings for today: Isaiah 36-38, Psalms 117

The southern kingdom of Judah didn’t stand a chance. Assyria was the greatest empire of her day. Sennacherib, her greatest emperor. Her armies blitzed through the Middle East conquering nation after nation. No one could stand against them. They had the only standing professional army of the time outfitted with the best tech human civilization had developed. They were literally undefeated everywhere they went. And now they stand outside the gates of Jerusalem. 185,000 strong. Hezekiah has no army to put in the field. Not even two thousand soldiers to ride a horse. They are helpless. Hopeless. All is lost. Except for God. When things are at their darkest, Hezekiah cries out to God for help. He cries to God for salvation. He cries out to God on behalf of his nation. And God answers him. Delivers him. Saves him. It’s a powerful story and one of the great miracles in human history.

Sadly, what’s often missed is Hezekiah’s motivation. “Now, Lord our God, save us from his power so that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you, Lord, are God  — you alone.” (Isaiah‬ ‭37‬:‭20‬ ‭CSB‬‬) Note that he doesn’t cry for God to make Judah great again. He doesn’t call on God to be faithful to the people He loves. He doesn’t give God a list of reasons as to why Judah deserves to be saved. He doesn’t talk about their righteous worship or righteous deeds or point to their illustrious history. No, at the heart of Hezekiah’s prayer is a desire for God to get all the glory. A passion to see God’s name lifted high. Hezekiah prays for this miracle - not so much so that Judah will be saved - but so all the world will know Judah’s God stands above all other gods. It’s an evangelistic prayer. Hezekiah wants all the nations of the earth to know the Lord and this is what drives him to his knees on behalf of his people.

We too are living through a time of great social unrest. Our country is more divided than ever. More at odds than ever. Our national leaders are at each other’s throats. Different groups have taken to the streets to protest for sweeping cultural change. They take over college campuses, creating atmospheres of hate. Some of those groups are violent. They burn. They tear down. They destroy. There are political forces in play vying for influence, power, and control. Each with a different vision for the future of our country. Each claiming God is on their side. Many believers I know are praying for our country. They long to see God work a similar miracle in our day like He did for Hezekiah. But are we praying with the same godly motivation?

I pray for our nation every single day. I pray for humility. For repentance. For transformed hearts. I pray for our leaders. I pray they will forsake their wicked, sinful ways. I pray they will lay aside their ambitions and greed and lust for power and instead have a heart to serve the Lord. I pray for an honest reckoning of the sins of our past. I pray for a renewed passion for justice and compassion. I pray grace to replace anger. Mercy to replace vengeance. Love to replace hate. I pray God will do all these things for His glory not our own. I pray He will do these things for the sake of His great name not our own. I pray God will do these things to declare His greatness not our own. In short, I am trying to pray with the same motivation as Hezekiah for it is our only hope as a nation.

Readings for tomorrow: Isaiah 39-41, Psalms 118

The Results of Righteousness

Readings for today: Isaiah 31-35, Psalms 116

One of the misconceptions I run into a lot is how too many people equate “righteousness” with “restrictions.” They see God’s plan as the quickest way to suck all the fun out of life. They perceive God to be a cosmic kill-joy. They believe the old canard that God sits on His throne and spends His days devising all kinds of ways to squash everyone’s joy. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Listen to how the prophet Isaiah describes the impact of righteousness on a nation. Isaiah 32:1-2 CSB, “Behold, a king will reign in righteousness, and princes will rule in justice. Each will be like a hiding place from the wind, a shelter from the storm, like streams of water in a dry place, like the shade of a great rock in a weary land.” That sounds pretty good, right? Especially if you are living in the desert regions of the Middle East? Keep reading. Isaiah 32:17–18 CSB, “And the effect of righteousness will be peace, and the result of righteousness, quietness and trust forever. My people will abide in a peaceful habitation, in secure dwellings, and in quiet resting places.” Again, doesn’t that sound wonderful? Isn’t that what we all hope for in our lives? Peace? Quietness? Trust forever? Don’t you want to dwell in a peaceful habitation? Safe and secure? I was just in northern Ethiopia where they are recovering from a civil war and I can tell you things like safety and security and peace are at the top of their list. Let me give you one more. Isaiah 33:5-6 CSB, “The Lord is exalted, for He dwells on high; He has filled Zion with justice and righteousness. There will be times of security for you - a storehouse of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge. The fear of the Lord is Zion’s treasure.” What a beautiful picture of what God has in store for those who will fear Him, those who will follow Him, those who will worship Him. He is the source of all righteousness and justice in the world. And if one wants to experience the blessings of righteousness, one must seek to dwell in God’s presence for they are a byproduct of a life-giving relationship with Him.

So, have you changed your mind about righteousness? Do you find yourself longing for the more righteous life? Do you want the blessings of righteousness in your own life or community or nation? Don’t fall for the enemy’s lies. Don’t believe his falsehoods. Don’t let him deceive you. Your Heavenly Father knows what’s best for you. Your Heavenly Father loves you. Your Heavenly Father has good gifts He wants to give you. Trust Him. Believe Him. Submit to Him. Follow Him. Let justice flow into your life and righteousness be an ever-running stream in your soul.

Readings for tomorrow: Isaiah 36-38, Psalms 117

Covenant of Life

Readings for today: Isaiah 28-30, Psalms 115

The heart of the reading for me today is Isaiah 28:15-18. There God confronts His people with a powerful Word. ““For you said, “We have made a covenant with Death, and we have an agreement with Sheol; when the overwhelming catastrophe passes through, it will not touch us, because we have made falsehood our refuge and have hidden behind treachery.” (Isaiah‬ ‭28‬:‭15‬ ‭CSB‬) I think about our own culture. The covenant we too have made with death. Abortion on demand. Suicide. Euthanasia. I think about the lies we believe. Our seeming inability to sift through what’s true and false. Our tendency to naively accept whatever fits our ideological worldview rather than pursue honesty and transparency. I grieve our propensity towards violence. School shootings. Racially-motivated hate crimes. Sexual abuse. I grieve our morbid fascination with self-destruction. Legalization of marijuana and other harmful substances. Addiction to opioids and other pain-killers. All in an attempt to numb our pain. I grieve the fact that we continue to seek refuge in the lies we tell ourselves and in the falsehoods we cling to at all costs. If I were not a Christian, I would despair. 

But then I read these words, “Look, I have laid a stone in Zion, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation; the one who believes will be unshakable. And I will make justice the measuring line and righteousness the mason’s level.” Hail will sweep away the false refuge, and water will flood your hiding place. Your covenant with Death will be dissolved, and your agreement with Sheol will not last.” (‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭28‬:‭16‬-‭18‬ ‭CSB‬‬) Once again, I am overwhelmed. God does what I cannot do. God does what we cannot do. God does what no government or business or church or non-profit agency - no matter how pure and righteous their motives - can do! He annulls the covenant we made with death! He sets aside our agreement with Sheol! He lays a foundation in Zion. A sure foundation built on tested and precious stone on which we can build our lives! He doesn’t ask us to rescue ourselves. He doesn’t ask us to clean up our act. He doesn’t expect us to find a way out of the mess we’ve made. He simply steps in. He restores justice. He restores righteousness. He sweeps away all the lies and falsehoods. He destroys death. He robs the grave. And He grants His people new life...abundant life...in Him!

Will we still sin? Yes. Are we still a rebellious people? Absolutely. Will we still run from God? Crawl off the altar? Try to build our lives on shifting sand? All that and more. But thankfully God is patient with us. “Therefore the Lord is waiting to show you mercy, and is rising up to show you compassion, for the Lord is a just God. All who wait patiently for him are happy.” (Isaiah‬ ‭30‬:‭18‬ ‭CSB‬‬‬) And because God is faithful, we can be sure a day is coming when we will weep no more. We will see Him face to face. We will know His ways and walk in them. We will tear down every idol in our lives. Our brokenness will be bound and our wounds healed. We will sing a new song in the night. We will keep the holy feast. We will witness the victory of the Lord our God.

Readings for tomorrow: Isaiah 31-35, Psalms 116

The Honor of God

Readings for today: Isaiah 23-27, Psalms 114

One of the great privileges of my life is to spend about a month in Africa each year. I’ve been almost twenty times at this point and I’ve learned an incredible amount from the cross-cultural interactions I have with my brothers and sisters across the globe. They have helped me understand the Bible better. They have helped me understand God better. They have taught me much when it comes to faith. Perhaps the biggest lesson has to do with the dynamic of honor and shame that shows up throughout the Scriptures. The world tends to equate humility with shame and pride with honor but the Bible inverts this matrix. According to Scripture, pride ultimately produces shame and humility is the path to genuine honor. This dynamic holds true not just for individuals but for tribes, cities, and even nations.

What was the great sin of Tyre and Sidon? Two of the great commercial trading centers in the ancient near east? Pride. Tyre saw itself as “the bestower of crowns, whose traders are princes, whose merchants are the honored ones of the earth?” (Isaiah‬ ‭23‬:‭8‬ ‭CSB‬‬‬) Sidon enjoyed tremendous wealth and privilege. “And on many waters your revenue was the grain of Shihor, the harvest of the Nile; you were the merchant of the nations.”(Isaiah‬ ‭23:3‬ CSB) In their pursuit of worldly honor and riches and power, they forgot the Lord. They dishonored God. And they paid the price. “Wail, O ships of Tarshish, for your haven has been destroyed… Be ashamed, O Sidon, for the sea has spoken...” (Isaiah‬ ‭23:1, 4‬ CSB) 

But it’s not just Tyre and Sidon who make this mistake. The whole earth has forgotten God. The whole earth pursues wealth and power and honor and glory apart from God. The whole earth seeks to exalt itself rather than humble themselves before their creator. Therefore, the Lord will bring His righteous judgment. No one shall escape. “Look, the Lord is stripping the earth bare and making it desolate. He will twist its surface and scatter its inhabitants: people and priest alike, servant and master, female servant and mistress, buyer and seller, lender and borrower, creditor and debtor. The earth will be stripped completely bare and will be totally plundered, for the Lord has spoken this message.” (Isaiah‬ ‭24‬:‭1‬-‭3‬ ‭CSB‬‬‬) And why does the Lord speak such a harsh word? Why does the Lord render such a harsh judgment? Because the Lord is jealous for the glory of His Name. He is jealous for His own honor. He will not rest until the whole earth sings His praises. “They raise their voices, they sing out; they proclaim in the west the majesty of the Lord. Therefore, in the east honor the Lord! In the coasts and islands of the west honor the name of the Lord, the God of Israel. From the ends of the earth we hear songs: The Splendor of the Righteous One.” (Isaiah‬ ‭24‬:‭14‬-‭16‬a ‭CSB‬‬)

Human beings were made for one glorious purpose...to bring honor to their Creator. To enjoy God and to worship Him alone forever. To praise God for all eternity. This is the great work we were designed for. This is the great work we were made for. And it is to our abiding shame that we neglect this great task and forget our God. It is to our great shame that we “exchange the truth of God for a lie and worship and serve the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.” (Romans‬ ‭1:25 CSB‬) We pursue worldly honor and worldly wealth and worldly power to our own destruction. Because we have turned away from God and gone our own way, He has “given us up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. We become filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. We are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless.” (Romans‬ ‭1:28-31 CSB‬) And God simply will not allow such evil to stand. So He brings judgment. He lays low the proud. He shames the arrogant. He dishonors the honored among all the earth. “The Lord of Armies planned it, to desecrate all its glorious beauty, to disgrace all the honored ones of the earth.” (Isaiah‬ ‭23‬:‭9‬ ‭CSB‬‬)

This is why we must consider carefully the priorities of our lives. Why do we do the things we do? What drives us? What gives us purpose and fulfillment? Are we truly seeking to honor God in all we say and do? Or are we trying to steal a bit of that honor for ourselves? Are we truly seeking to glorify God in our homes, neighborhoods, schools, and places of work? Or these just means we are using to justify our own ends?  

Readings for tomorrow: Isaiah 28-30, Psalms 115

The Gospel of the Old Testament

Readings for today: Isaiah 18-22, Psalms 113

Egypt. The land of slavery. The land of oppression. The land of attempted genocide. For hundreds of years, the people of Israel labored there under the whip. Beaten. Abused. Dying young. Their children born to a life of hard labor. Powerless. Helpless. Hopeless. It was a life of constant pain. Constant torment. Constant suffering. Even after they were delivered by God, Egypt continued to be a thorn in their side. Invading. Killing. A perpetual threat on their southern border. It’s tough to overstate the hatred and enmity between these two nations. And yet, God loves the Egyptians.

Assyria. One of the most powerful and brutal empires in the ancient world. They fielded the world’s first professional army. Developed advanced technology like iron weapons and war chariots. They weaponized terror as a military tactic. And they were absolutely ruthless when it came to putting down resistance. They would sack cities. Displace entire people groups. Employed horrific public torture as a means of psychological warfare. Israel hated them. Israel feared them. It’s why Jonah ran to Joppa rather than go to Nineveh. He simply couldn’t stomach the sight of his enemies. And yet, God loves the Assyrians.

The Book of Isaiah is often called, “The Gospel of the Old Testament” and today’s passage is a good reason why…“On that day there will be an altar to the Lord in the center of the land of Egypt and a pillar to the Lord near her border. It will be a sign and witness to the Lord of Armies in the land of Egypt. When they cry out to the Lord because of their oppressors, he will send them a savior and leader, and he will rescue them. The Lord will make himself known to Egypt, and Egypt will know the Lord on that day. They will offer sacrifices and offerings; they will make vows to the Lord and fulfill them. The Lord will strike Egypt, striking and healing. Then they will turn to the Lord, and he will be receptive to their prayers and heal them. On that day there will be a highway from Egypt to Assyria. Assyria will go to Egypt, Egypt to Assyria, and Egypt will worship with Assyria. On that day Israel will form a triple alliance with Egypt and Assyria — a blessing within the land. The Lord of Armies will bless them, saying, “Egypt my people, Assyria my handiwork, and Israel my inheritance are blessed.” (Isaiah‬ ‭19‬:‭19‬-‭25‬ ‭CSB‬‬)

This is an incredible passage pointing to an even more incredible reality. The unconditional nature of God’s grace. It comes to us all. Jew and Gentile alike. Egyptian, Assyrian, and Israelite alike. Republican and Democrat alike. Progressive and conservative alike. Black, white, and brown alike. It is no one’s possession. No one has a right to claim it for their own. No one is more privileged than another in the eyes of God. All have sinned and fallen short of His glory and all stand in need of His grace. This is why Jesus gives us this command…”Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons and daughters of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers and sisters, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” (Matthew‬ ‭5:43-48‬ CSB) Jesus knows there are no “enemies” in His Kingdom. No “enemies” beyond His reach. No “enemies” beyond His salvation. Jesus knows there is not a single person or single power on this earth who can stand before His love. Jesus holds the power to turn mortal enemies into family. Jesus holds the power to overcome hate and anger and the desire for vengeance with mercy and forgiveness. Jesus holds the power to transform even the hardest hearts. The question is…do we believe Him? Do we trust Him? And do our lives and our conduct and our speech and our interactions reflect this deep and glorious truth?

Readings for tomorrow: Isaiah 23-27, Psalms 114

God’s Vision for the World

Readings for today: Isaiah 9-12, Psalms 111

I am wrapping up my time in Ethiopia. It has been so good to be back with the people I love. The men and women I get to serve while I am over here are some of the most inspiring you could ever meet. You won’t see their names in the news. They don’t have large followings on social media. They will never be recognized by the world. But they will be great in the Kingdom of God. They will sit at the right hand of Jesus when He comes again. I am humbled just to know them.

One of the real challenges in this country is tribal violence. Ethnic conflict. Extremist groups from different regions engaging in guerilla warfare against the federal government. The reaction has been swift and harsh. Suspension of civil liberties. States of emergency. Homes invaded. People imprisoned. Loss of any kind of due process. It’s heartbreaking to witness. I have dear friends over here who have experienced these things simply because of their ethnic identity. They happen to belong to the wrong tribe and live in the wrong place at the wrong time. This kind of thing is not unique to Ethiopia, of course. We see it all over the world. We see it in the Middle East. We see it in Russia and Ukraine. We see it in America. No matter where one goes, human beings seemingly have this innate, sinful tendency to divide. And sadly, our divisions are rarely peaceful.

Thankfully, God has a different vision for the world. One He casts in the eleventh chapter of the Book of Isaiah. “The wolf will dwell with the lamb, and the leopard will lie down with the goat. The calf, the young lion, and the fattened calf will be together, and a child will lead them. The cow and the bear will graze, their young ones will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like cattle. An infant will play beside the cobra’s pit, and a toddler will put his hand into a snake’s den. They will not harm or destroy each other on my entire holy mountain, for the land will be as full of the knowledge of the Lord as the sea is filled with water.” (Isaiah 11:6-9 CSB) When the Messiah comes in all His power and glory, the world will finally know reconciliation. The world will finally know peace. True shalom. The end of all division and violence and hatred and enmity.

How do we know this to be true? Because of what God did on the cross. There He tore down every dividing wall of hostility that exists between us and He gave us His Spirit to bring unity. The church is therefore called to live in such a way that we give the world a picture of what life will one day look like in the Kingdom of God. Imagine the power of the witness we could have if God’s people would embrace Isaiah’s vision? Imagine a church unified across political, ethnic, tribal, economic, generational, and theological divisions? Imagine a church that took seriously the commands from Psalm 133 and John 17? It’s actually not all that hard to imagine if we take seriously the call to have the same mind that was in Christ Jesus and seek to follow the example He lays down in Philippians 2:5-11.

Readings for tomorrow: Isaiah 13-17, Psalms 112 (No devotionals on Sundays)

A Prophet’s Call

Readings for today: Isaiah 5-8, Psalms 110

There are many today that claim the title “Prophet.” They claim to hear messages from the Lord. They claim to have special revelations from God. They speak in all kinds of riddles. They string together all sorts of meaningless phrases. They pluck verses out of context from the Bible to predict the future. I see them all over YouTube. I see them all over social media. Many that I know and love have been taken in by them. They are grifters. They are con men and women. They use the Bible to exploit the vulnerable and weak and helpless. I believe God will judge them harshly when He comes again. How do I know? Because their supposed “prophecies” never come true. They always fail. And the Biblical test of any prophet is whether or not what they have to say actually comes to pass. If it doesn’t and they prove false, the command is clear. Execute them. Stone them to death for claiming to speak for God.

Biblically speaking, prophecy has more to do with “truth-telling” than “future-telling” though I readily admit it can be both. Prophets in the Old Testament were called to speak truth to power and confront the leaders of God’s people in an effort to turn them away from sin and back to God. It was a challenging call. It often put their lives at risk. They sacrificed much for the call. They were more often than not, discouraged and depressed by the lack of response to their message. Listen to how Isaiah describes his own call, “Then I heard the voice of the Lord asking: Who will I send? Who will go for us? I said: Here I am. Send me. And he replied: Go! Say to these people: Keep listening, but do not understand; keep looking, but do not perceive. Make the minds of these people dull; deafen their ears and blind their eyes; otherwise they might see with their eyes and hear with their ears, understand with their minds, turn back, and be healed. Then I said, “Until when, Lord?” And he replied: Until cities lie in ruins without inhabitants, houses are without people, the land is ruined and desolate, and the Lord drives the people far away, leaving great emptiness in the land. Though a tenth will remain in the land, it will be burned again. Like the terebinth or the oak that leaves a stump when felled, the holy seed is the stump.” (Isaiah 6:8-13 CSB)

Woof. Thanks but no thanks. Speak to a people who will not listen? Go to a people who are blind? Preach to those whose hearts are actively being hardened by God against your message? Until their cities lie in ruins and the people are in exile and death and destruction reign in the land? That’s the call? Are you serious, God? And yet, Isaiah obeys. He does exactly what God calls him to do. And God uses him to preach powerful messages of repentance to His people.

I don’t know about you but I believe we are living in a time similar to that of the ancient prophets. The church in North America, once so vibrant and full of life, has fallen on hard times. She seems more concerned with herself than with the mission God has entrusted to her. She seems more consumed with her own comfort than in sacrificing for the Lord. She seems more focused on building up herself rather than building up the Kingdom. What we need now are prophets who will speak God’s truth no matter the cost. Prophets who will challenge God’s people to push beyond personal preferences, move outside their comfort zones, and offer all they have in service to God. God won’t accept anything less. Nor should we. When I read Isaiah, I find myself deeply convicted. I find myself falling on my knees before the Lord and asking Him to show me how I can give more, serve more, offer more of myself back to Him. I know whatever I ask of God’s people must begin in my own heart. So this is my prayer.

Readings for tomorrow: Isaiah 9-12, Psalms 111

The Will of God

Readings for today: Isaiah 1-4, Psalms 109

What is the will of God for my life? It’s a question I field all the time. I hear it from young and old alike. New believers and mature believers have it in common. We all want to know what God wants from us. Typically, when we ask the question, we want to know something specific. What is God’s will for my family? What is God’s will for my future vocation? What is God’s will as I hit my golden years? What is God’s will with the years I have left? Who should I marry? How many kids should I have? These are the kinds of questions we often associate with “God’s will.” But what if God’s will were bigger and grander than we have ever imagined? What if God’s will had less to do with the actual events of our lives and more to do with the kind of people we become? (Let me hasten to add, I believe His will involves both.) That’s what Isaiah the prophet was wrestling with in the first chapter of his book.

“Wash yourselves. Cleanse yourselves. Remove your evil deeds from my sight. Stop doing evil. Learn to do what is good. Pursue justice. Correct the oppressor. Defend the rights of the fatherless. Plead the widow’s cause…Zion will be redeemed by justice, those who repent, by righteousness.” (Isaiah 1:16-17, 27 CSB)

The people of God were engaged in all the “right” activities. They were bringing all the “right” sacrifices and worshipping at all the “right” seasons. But they were just going through the motions. Their hearts were not in it. They were too busy chasing their own desires and following their own dreams. The reign of King Uzziah was one of great wealth and power and prestige. It was a golden age of sorts. And yet the seeds of Judah’s destruction were already being sown. The people had abandoned their God. They tolerated injustice. Their leaders were corrupt. As a result, God brought judgment upon them. Warfare. Violence. Suffering. Pain. God exposed them to the consequences of their sin with the hope they would return to Him. “Why do you want more beatings? Why do you keep on rebelling? The whole head is hurt, and the whole heart is sick. From the sole of the foot even to the head, no spot is uninjured  — wounds, welts, and festering sores not cleansed, bandaged, or soothed with oil.” (Isaiah 1:5-6 CSB)

And what would a return to God look like? It would look like repentance. Confession of sin. Turning from wickedness. Learning to do what was good. Pursuing justice and righteousness. Defending the defenseless. Rising up against the oppressor. In short, it was about seeking God first in their lives and aligning their hearts with His will. Nothing has changed over the centuries. God’s will remains the same yesterday, today, and forever. He has clearly revealed in His Word what He wants for our lives. He wants us to live justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with Him. He wants us to seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness. He wants us to love Him with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, and love our neighbors as ourselves. As we do these things, He promises to bring blessing to us and through us to the world.

Readings for tomorrow: Isaiah 5-8, Psalms 110

The End

Readings for today: Isaiah 64-66

I meet people all the time who are asking the question, “Is this all there is?” Is this world all there is? Is this life all there is? Are the 70, 80, 90 years of life all I get? And to what end? I spend my life working hard to provide for myself and my family. I achieve some measure of success. I do my best to stay active and healthy. I enjoy some wonderful experiences along the way. My wedding. The birth of my children and grandchildren. Certain milestones or achievements that hopefully leave the world a better place. But then what? Is all I have to look forward to in retirement a slow, steady decline? Or perhaps a tragic diagnosis that robs me of what little strength I have left? Will my mind start to fail along with my body? Will I be missed after I’m gone? These are real, honest questions asked by many thoughtful people I’ve had the privilege of walking beside as a pastor over the years.

Thankfully, the Lord doesn’t leave us guessing. He doesn’t leave us groping about in the dark for answers. He tells us exactly what’s going to happen. He lets us in on the end of the story. Listen to how Isaiah puts it, “I’m creating new heavens and a new earth. All the earlier troubles, chaos, and pain are things of the past, to be forgotten. Look ahead with joy. Anticipate what I’m creating: I’ll create Jerusalem as sheer joy, create my people as pure delight. I’ll take joy in Jerusalem, take delight in my people: No more sounds of weeping in the city, no cries of anguish; No more babies dying in the cradle, or old people who don’t enjoy a full lifetime; One-hundredth birthdays will be considered normal— anything less will seem like a cheat. They’ll build houses and move in. They’ll plant fields and eat what they grow. No more building a house that some outsider takes over, No more planting fields that some enemy confiscates, For my people will be as long-lived as trees, my chosen ones will have satisfaction in their work. They won’t work and have nothing come of it, they won’t have children snatched out from under them. For they themselves are plantings blessed by God, with their children and grandchildren likewise God-blessed. Before they call out, I’ll answer. Before they’ve finished speaking, I’ll have heard. Wolf and lamb will graze the same meadow, lion and ox eat straw from the same trough, but snakes—they’ll get a diet of dirt! Neither animal nor human will hurt or kill anywhere on my Holy Mountain,” says God.” (Isaiah‬ ‭65‬:‭17‬-‭25‬ ‭MSG‬‬)

It’s a beautiful picture of the life to come. A life not lived in some vaporous, ephemeral, spiritual existence but one that is physical and tangible and as real as it gets. God is going to renew the heavens and the earth. The heavenly dimension where He lives and reigns will eventually absorb this world and all that is in it. Life as we know it will be transformed. All that is wrong about this world will be set right. Every injustice will be addressed. Every hurt will be healed. Every tear will be wiped away. Every grief will be comforted. Every pain erased. Death will be no more. Sin will be no more. Evil will be no more. God Himself will rule and reign over a renewed creation and a renewed people as He originally intended. This is the end of all things. This is the telos of all things. This is where all of history is headed.

So here’s our challenge. Living with God’s end in mind. Living today for the world tomorrow. Trusting God for the future even as we labor in the present. Believing that every thought, every word, every action carries eternal weight because of what God has done and what God will do. Simply put, heaven is the answer to our deepest questions. Heaven is the satisfaction for our deepest longings. Heaven gives meaning and purpose to every moment of our lives. We are called to live as citizens of heaven in a world full of death. Our lives to be light in a world full of darkness.

Readings for tomorrow: 2 Kings 21, 2 Chronicles 33

Paradise Lost

Readings for today: Isaiah 59-63

“Better to reign in Hell than serve in Heaven.” So says Satan in John Milton’s classic book, Paradise Lost. I can’t tell you the number of people I’ve met over the years who sadly have taken this sentiment to heart. They live life according to their own rules. They believe they are the captains of their own fates. The masters of their own destinies. Their primary goal is the pursuit of their own happiness. They aren’t bad people. In fact, they are quite normal people. They get married. They have families. They love their kids. They work hard. But life is oriented inward rather than outward. Ultimately, they seek to serve themselves rather than God or those around them so if/when the life they’ve built stops working for them, they move on. They get divorced. They leave their families. They quit their jobs. They cut off friendships. Anything that gets in the way of their happiness is considered toxic, phobic, unhealthy, you name it. Sadly, they never do find what they are looking for. I know. I’ve met many of them on their deathbeds. Talked to them as they neared the end of their lives and they express so many regrets. Or, even worse, some of them don’t have any regrets at all for all the pain they’ve left in their wake.

In today’s reading, Isaiah describes a similar situation in Israel. Rather than living for God and trusting His will for their lives, the people of God largely lived for themselves with devastating consequences. “We long for light but sink into darkness, long for brightness but stumble through the night. Like the blind, we inch along a wall, groping eyeless in the dark. We shuffle our way in broad daylight, like the dead, but somehow walking. We’re no better off than bears, groaning, and no worse off than doves, moaning. We look for justice—not a sign of it; for salvation—not so much as a hint. Our wrongdoings pile up before you, God, our sins stand up and accuse us. Our wrongdoings stare us down; we know in detail what we’ve done: Mocking and denying God, not following our God, spreading false rumors, whipping up revolt, pregnant with lies, muttering malice. Justice is beaten back, Righteousness is banished to the sidelines, Truth staggers down the street, Honesty is nowhere to be found, Good is missing in action. Anyone renouncing evil is beaten and robbed.” (Isaiah‬ ‭59‬:‭1‬0-‭15a‬ ‭MSG‬‬) Isaiah paints a terrible picture, doesn’t he? There exists in the heart of every person who has ever lived a deep longing for justice and peace and righteousness and goodness but these things seem forever out of reach. And the reason they are out of reach is not because of God. His arm has not grown short. His ears have not grown deaf. The problem is not with God, it is with us and the sinful orientation of our hearts that always presses us to seek our own good above those around us. Selfishness lies at the root of all evil. Our desires are simply insatiable. Our will is not strong enough to resist. Thankfully, God sees all this and takes pity on us.

“God looked and saw evil looming on the horizon— so much evil and no sign of Justice. He couldn’t believe what he saw: not a soul around to correct this awful situation. So he did it himself, took on the work of Salvation, fueled by his own Righteousness. He dressed in Righteousness, put it on like a suit of armor, with Salvation on his head like a helmet, Put on Judgment like an overcoat, and threw a cloak of Passion across his shoulders. He’ll make everyone pay for what they’ve done: fury for his foes, just deserts for his enemies. Even the far-off islands will get paid off in full. In the west they’ll fear the name of God, in the east they’ll fear the glory of God, For he’ll arrive like a river in flood stage, whipped to a torrent by the wind of God. “I’ll arrive in Zion as Redeemer, to those in Jacob who leave their sins.” God’s Decree.” (Isaiah‬ ‭59‬:‭15‬b-‭20‬ ‭MSG‬‬) This is God’s promise to all who believe. What we cannot achieve for ourselves, God will do for us. What we cannot earn for ourselves, God will freely give to us. What we cannot even seek for ourselves, God will seek out for us. He will find us. He will gather us. He will wipe away every tear. He will heal every hurt. He will right every wrong. He will make all things new. Including me. Including you. We will be given a new heart and a new spirit. Our desires will be reoriented towards God and those around us. Our minds filled with the wisdom and knowledge of God who will make our paths straight.

So let me challenge you to reject the lie of this world. The lie that says it’s better to reign in Hell than serve in Heaven. The lie that says it’s better to serve yourself than those around you. The lie that says it’s better to chase your own happiness rather than seek to make others happy. The lie that says you don’t need to bow the knee to anyone or anything. The lie that says you’re in charge. You’re the boss. You’re the master. Open your eyes and see these lies for what they are and honestly take stock of the impact of these lies on those you love. Cast them aside and instead believe the Truth. Place your trust in the truth of God as it is revealed in the Person of Jesus Christ. His way is better. His way leads to eternal and abundant life.

Readings for tomorrow: Isaiah 64-66

Seek. Surrender. Celebrate.

Readings for today: Isaiah 54-58

There are three basic movements to the Christian faith. Three fundamental principles that undergird who we are as believers in Jesus Christ. Christians are a people who seek hard after God, willingly and gladly surrender to His will, and live in the fullness of joy as they celebrate all He has done. We see this dynamic played out in today’s passage from Isaiah 55.

“Seek God while he’s here to be found, pray to him while he’s close at hand. Let the wicked abandon their way of life and the evil their way of thinking. Let them come back to God, who is merciful, come back to our God, who is lavish with forgiveness.” (Isaiah‬ ‭55‬:‭6‬-‭7‬ ‭MSG‬‬) The Christian faith arises from a deep sense of spiritual hunger. A desire for spiritual food that will satisfy. This hunger - created by the Holy Spirit - prompts a person to seek God. To seek the only one who can fill the hole each of us has in our hearts. Thankfully, He is near. He delights in being found. He doesn’t play cosmic hide and seek. As we draw near to Him, He draws near to us. The result is transformative. The wicked abandon their way of life. The evil abandon their way of thinking. The sinner repents and returns to God who is merciful and quick to forgive.

“I don’t think the way you think. The way you work isn’t the way I work.” God’s Decree. “For as the sky soars high above earth, so the way I work surpasses the way you work, and the way I think is beyond the way you think. Just as rain and snow descend from the skies and don’t go back until they’ve watered the earth, Doing their work of making things grow and blossom, producing seed for farmers and food for the hungry, So will the words that come out of my mouth not come back empty-handed. They’ll do the work I sent them to do, they’ll complete the assignment I gave them.” (Isaiah‬ ‭55‬:‭8‬-‭11‬ ‭MSG‬‬) Having received the mercy and forgiveness of God, the Holy Spirit now begins to open our eyes and minds to the vastness of God. The holiness of God. The beauty of God. The majesty of God. These things bring us to our knees in surrender. We acknowledge God’s greatness and goodness. His ways are higher than our ways and His thoughts higher than our thoughts. Our finite minds cannot contain, much less explain, His infinity. Having caught a glimpse and being overwhelmed in awe, we are drawn into His work as servants. People who willingly and gladly give all they have to serve a cause much greater than themselves.

“So you’ll go out in joy, you’ll be led into a whole and complete life. The mountains and hills will lead the parade, bursting with song. All the trees of the forest will join the procession, exuberant with applause. No more thistles, but giant sequoias, no more thornbushes, but stately pines— Monuments to me, to God, living and lasting evidence of God.” (Isaiah‬ ‭55‬:‭12‬-‭13‬ ‭MSG‬‬) As we give ourselves to God, He gives Himself to us. As He is the source of greatest joy in the universe, we are now able to draw on that well every day of our lives, in every circumstance of our lives. We walk in joy. We walk in peace. We are given new eyes to see the world around us as it bursts into song in praise of it’s Creator. We join the singing because we cannot help ourselves and our lives become living monuments to God.

Readings for tomorrow: None

Suffering Servant

Readings for today: Isaiah 50-53

Today, I took a look back at some previous devotionals I have written over the years on these particular passages. The one that resonates the most with me after all these years is the one I wrote after spending time with Bishop John Rucyahana in Rwanda. Bishop John is a dear friend who writes and speaks powerfully on the subject of the genocide that horrified a watching world in 1994. He wrestles deeply with the question, “Where was God as over one million people were being slaughtered?” And he comes out the other side with this answer, “Where was God when a million innocent people were being butchered? Where was God when priests and pastors helped massacre the people in their churches? I’ll tell you where God was. He was alongside the victims lying on the cold stone floor of the cathedral. He was comforting a dying child. He was crying at the altar. But He was also saving lives. Many were saved by miracles. God does not flee when evil takes over a nation...God is the giver of eternal life, and He can bring great good out of any situation. He raises the dead; He can also raise the broken. He can restore their hearts and minds and lift their spirits to renewed life. In my country God is doing this today by the thousands. There is so much pain here, so many real tears, and so much guilt that our ministry is like preaching hope from the top of a pile of bones. From atop a mountain of mutilated bodies, we are stretching a hand upward to proclaim a message of transformation and recovery.” (The Bishop of Rwanda ) It’s a powerful message he continues to preach even to this day.

I cannot fathom the journey so many in Rwanda have endured. The horror. The pain. The suffering. It’s immense. Indescribable. Beyond words. And yet, I would argue the forgiveness and reconciliation they have found is equally, if not more, profound. When I was there, I remember asking a woman if she was ethnic Tutsi or Hutu. “Neither” was her reply. “Here we are all Rwandan.” She went on to describe some of the hell she and her family had been through and the freedom they had found through forgiveness. Only Jesus could provide such grace. Only Jesus could give them such strength. How can I be so sure? Because Jesus knows the depths of human suffering. He experienced the absolute worst this world has to offer. He knows evil intimately and through his death defeats it once and for all. Listen to how the ancient prophet Isaiah describes the suffering of Jesus, some hundreds of years before His death and resurrection.

“He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed...He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth...Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him; he has put him to grief; when his soul makes an offering for guilt, he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days; the will of the Lord shall prosper in his hand...Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong, because he poured out his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors.” (Isaiah‬ ‭53:3-5, 7, 10, 12‬)

The same God who bore the sins of many. The same God who makes intercession for the transgressors. The same God who loved His enemies so much He died for them is the same God who is alive and active in Rwanda, bringing about reconciliation through forgiveness. Preaching hope from atop a pile of His own bones. From atop His own mutilated body, He is stretching a hand upward to proclaim a message of transformation and grace. It’s truly incredible and it is available to all who would place their trust in Him. Friends, if God can bring about reconciliation between the victims and perpetrators of genocide in Rwanda can He not accomplish the same in our lives as well? Can He not bring together husband and wife on the verge of divorce? Can He not bring back together children and parents who’ve been estranged? Can He not help Democrats and Republicans find common ground? Can He not heal the racial tensions in our own country? These are just a few of the problems we face that only the gospel can solve. 

What is required? Repentance. Confession. Truth-telling. Courage. Faith. Humility. Most of all, a deep and abiding and enduring trust in the power of the gospel. 

Readings for tomorrow: Isaiah 54-58

Lean on God

Readings for today: Isaiah 46-49, Psalm 135

Today’s reading is a great follow up from yesterday. It clearly outlines the choice we have to make when it comes to who will bear the burdens of our lives. If we trust in false gods, we end up carrying them. If we trust in the true God, He ends up carrying us. Either we load ourselves down with idols…idols that are false, idols that are dead, idols that cannot save…or we let God bear us up on eagle’s wings. I love how Isaiah puts it in chapter forty-six, “The god Bel falls down, god Nebo slumps. The no-god hunks of wood are loaded on mules and have to be hauled off, wearing out the poor mules— Dead weight, burdens who can’t bear burdens, hauled off to captivity. Listen to me, family of Jacob, everyone that’s left of the family of Israel. I’ve been carrying you on my back from the day you were born, And I’ll keep on carrying you when you’re old. I’ll be there, bearing you when you’re old and gray. I’ve done it and will keep on doing it, carrying you on my back, saving you.” (Isaiah‬ ‭46‬:‭1‬-‭4‬ ‭MSG‬‬) The picture Isaiah paints here is of foreign nations carrying their gods around from place to place. They put their gods on carts borne by beasts of burden. They are heavy loads. The oxen have to strain to keep going. And all of it is for naught because the idols are dead and empty. The end result is defeat. Exile. Captivity. Contrast this with the Living God of Israel. No idol can depict him which means there is no statue or totem to carry. Israel’s faith was so strange and unique that many of their Ancient Near East neighbors considered them atheists! All because they didn’t appear to have a god! And yet Israel’s God is real. Alive. Active. He bears them up from birth even to their old age. They didn’t make him, He made them. They didn’t bear him, He bore them. They didn’t carry him, He carries them. They didn’t save him, He saves them. ‬

You and I are faced with the same choice everyday. Sure, our idols are not as obvious. At least, that’s what we tell ourselves. Most of us don’t have statues or totems or anything like that. Instead, we have bank accounts. Homes. Careers. Relationships. These are the things we place our trust in rather than the Living God. We place our faith in ourselves. We worship ourselves. All our energy and resources are directed towards making sure our needs, our wants, our desires are fulfilled. We are told we deserve this. We are told we’ve earned this. We are told we want this. We would be nothing without it. Life is not worth living unless you have it all. Such lies place burdens on our shoulders too heavy to bear. They wear us down. They sap us of our strength. All of us know the rat race we’re on is killing us. We simply cannot maintain the pace. So what’s the answer?

Turn to God. Let Him bear the burden of your life. Trust the One who shaped and formed you in your mother’s womb. Trust the One who gave you breath and life at your birth. Trust the One who endowed you with your gifts and talents and abilities. Trust the One who knows every hair on your head. If you’ll let Him, He will lift you up. If you’ll lean on Him, He will give you strength. If you trust Him, He will never let you down. He has made you. He has borne you. He has carried you. He will save you. This is His promise.

Readings for tomorrow: Isaiah 50-53

Bearing Burdens

Readings for today: Isaiah 43-45, Psalm 80

Recently, I’ve been feeling the weight of some heavy burdens. Some significant life changes. My oldest child has moved across the country. My father is experiencing a precipitous decline in health. In addition, I’ve come alongside some dear friends to help through some serious marital issues. I’ve taken on an additional national leadership responsibility with my denomination. I am heading to South Sudan with my youngest daughter in a couple of weeks for some intense church planter training. All of this is on top of the normal weight of pastoral ministry I carry. I don’t share this to gain sympathy but simply to describe the kind of seasonal pressures I know we all go through in life. It’s impossible to plan for and we often find ourselves coming quickly to the end of our resources when we enter such seasons. Perhaps that’s why I loved the words from Isaiah 43 so much this morning…

“Don’t be afraid, I’ve redeemed you. I’ve called your name. You’re mine. When you’re in over your head, I’ll be there with you. When you’re in rough waters, you will not go down. When you’re between a rock and a hard place, it won’t be a dead end— Because I am God, your personal God, The Holy of Israel, your Savior. I paid a huge price for you: all of Egypt, with rich Cush and Seba thrown in! That’s how much you mean to me! That’s how much I love you! I’d sell off the whole world to get you back, trade the creation just for you.” (Isaiah‬ ‭43‬:‭1‬-‭4‬ ‭MSG‬‬)

It reminds me of Jesus’ words from Matthew 11 where He invites all those who are weary and heavy-laden to come to Him. To yoke ourselves to Him. To be led by Him. God is so faithful. In the darkest times, He is our light. In the hardest times, He is our strength. When we are afraid, He is our courage. When we are depressed, He is the lifter of our head. No matter how challenging and overwhelming our circumstances may get, He won’t ever let us go. He is with us. He is for us. He will not let us be crushed by the weight nor drown in the flood.

God is personal. We can’t take that for granted. He is personally involved in our lives. Personally invested in the people we are becoming. Just as He paid a huge price for Israel, so He paid a huge price for each one of us. He gave His own life in exchange for our own. We are no longer our own. We were bought with a price. An inestimable price of infinite worth. That’s how much we mean to God! That’s how much God loves us! He sold off so much more than the world to get us back. He traded for more than creation to save us. He gave up His own Son. He laid down His own life. On the cross, Jesus stretched His arms wide, laying hold of both heaven and earth, and laid claim to every single human soul that has ever lived and/or will live. The image Him hanging there still leaves me breathless after all these years. And it’s why, when I fix my eyes on Him, my burdens become easy and my yoke light for I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that He is with me.

Readings for tomorrow: Isaiah 46-49, Psalm 135