Isaiah 41 (HCSB)
The Lord versus the Nations’ Gods
1 “Be silent before Me, islands! And let peoples renew their strength. Let them approach, then let them testify; let us come together for the trial.
2 Who has stirred him up from the east? He calls righteousness to his feet. 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.
3 He pursues them, going on safely, hardly touching the path with his feet.
4 Who has performed and done this, calling the generations from the beginning? I, Yahweh, am the first, and with the last—I am He.”
5 The islands see and are afraid, the whole earth trembles. They approach and arrive.
6 Each one helps the other, and says to another, “Take courage!”
7 The craftsman encourages the metalworker; the one who flattens with the hammer supports the one who strikes the anvil, saying of the soldering, “It is good.” He fastens it with nails so that it will not fall over.
8 But you, Israel, My servant, Jacob, whom I have chosen, descendant of Abraham, My friend—
9 I brought you from the ends of the earth and called you from its farthest corners. I said to you: You are My servant; I have chosen you and not rejected you.
10 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.
11 Be sure that all who are enraged against you will be ashamed and disgraced; those who contend with you will become as nothing and will perish.
12 You will look for those who contend with you, but you will not find them. Those who war against you will become absolutely nothing.
13 For I, Yahweh your God, hold your right hand and say to you: Do not fear, I will help you.
14 Do not fear, you worm Jacob, you men of Israel: I will help you—this is the Lord’s declaration. Your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel.
15 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.
16 You will winnow them and a wind will carry them away, a gale will scatter them. But you will rejoice in the Lord; you will boast in the Holy One of Israel.
17 The poor and the needy seek water, but there is none; their tongues are parched with thirst. I, Yahweh, will answer them; I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them.
18 I will open rivers on the barren heights, and springs in the middle of the plains. I will turn the desert into a pool of water and dry land into springs of water.
19 I will plant cedars in the desert, acacias, myrtles, and olive trees. I will put juniper trees in the desert, elms and cypress trees together,
20 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.
21 “Submit your case,” says the Lord. “Present your arguments,” says Jacob’s King.
22 “Let them come and tell us what will happen. Tell us the past events, so that we may reflect on them and know the outcome, or tell us the future.
23 Tell us the coming events, then we will know that you are gods. Indeed, do something good or bad, then we will be in awe and perceive.
24 Look, you are nothing and your work is worthless. Anyone who chooses you is detestable.
25 “I have raised up one from the north, and he has come, one from the east who invokes My name. He will march over rulers as if they were mud, like a potter who treads the clay.
26 Who told about this from the beginning, so that we might know, and from times past, so that we might say: He is right? No one announced it, no one told it, no one heard your words.
27 I was the first to say to Zion: Look! Here they are! And I gave a herald of good news to Jerusalem.
28 When I look, there is no one; there is no counselor among them; when I ask them, they have nothing to say.
29 Look, all of them are a delusion; their works are nonexistent; their images are wind and emptiness.
PERSONAL JOURNAL:
SIN (verse 11): Father, please forgive me for my anger and often defensive nature. You tell us that those that are enraged against us should feel ashamed and disgraced by our demeanor and reaction to them, yet typically this is how I feel towards my own reaction. Far too often, I react back with anger due to my defensive nature and then I am the one feeling ashamed and disgraced. Help me with this sinful nature, Father, so that I may be more like You and glorify You in the way I react to people.
PROMISE (verses 10, 13-14): You promise us that You are always there for us to help us navigate this sinful world, Father. Please remind me daily that You are holding my hand to help me, Father, so that I may always be in Your will; glorifying You through all things.
ATTITUDE (verse 11): Going back to my sin confession, Father, please help me to change this overly defensive attitude that gets me into so much of my anger defaults. Help me to be more considerate of others, but also to understand that I don’t have to choose to argue with people through my anger. Help me to embody a spirit of peace and love in these moments. Help me to focus on You and not my anger.
COMMAND (verses 11-12): Once again, Father, You bring me back to these verses. You tell us to act and speak in a way that glorifies You. More specifically, in these verses, You tell us that the way we react to those angry with us should bring shame and disgrace to them and not us. Help me to react to tense situations better in the moment, Father, so that I may glorify You in my reaction through all situations I’m involved in.
EXAMPLE (verses 6, 10, 13-14, 16): Father, You give us so many great examples to live by in this Scripture. You tell us to be courageous and not fearful or afraid because You are holding onto us to give us strength, help, wisdom and courage. You tell us all this so we may rejoice in You and boast about Your greatness, Father. Help me to remember this example always so I may have the strength to glorify You in all situations.
*DAILY NOTE: This has been a convicting chapter in Isaiah, Father. I’ve dug into my anger, pride, and defensiveness so often in conversations I’ve had that escalated to arguments. Thank You, Father, for showing me the right way to react in situations that may get heated or escalated. Help me to always remember that the way I handle situations is supposed to be a portrayal of my spiritual life and not my fleshly ways. Help me to remain calm, cool, and collected in those situations, Father. Help me to focus on You and lean on Your words through those situations, so that I glorify You through it all.
*GENERAL NOTE: I always "sandwich" my quiet time with God in prayer and do it in a location that I will not have any distractions so that I can be focused on my quiet time with God. Do not worry about how short or long your journal entries are for that day's quiet time. Just focus on the actual quiet time and relational conversation with God through the Holy Spirit and His Word. The journaling is an enhancement to your quiet time conversation with God, but also to allow you to reflect on things later as you can look back on your journal entries later when you do the chapters again in the future to see how you have grown. See the FAQ for more detail on how I do my quiet time.
Kommentare