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Quiet Time in Isaiah 57

Writer's picture: FilipFilip

Updated: Mar 16, 2022



Isaiah 57 (HCSB)


1 The righteous one perishes, and no one takes it to heart; faithful men are swept away, with no one realizing that the righteous one is swept away from the presence of evil.

2 He will enter into peace—they will rest on their beds—everyone who lives uprightly.


Pagan Religion Denounced

3 But come here, you sons of a sorceress, offspring of an adulterer and a prostitute!

4 Who is it you are mocking? Who is it you are opening your mouth and sticking out your tongue at? Isn’t it you, you rebellious children, you race of liars,

5 who burn with lust among the oaks, under every green tree, who slaughter children in the wadis below the clefts of the rocks?

6 Your portion is among the smooth stones of the wadi; indeed, they are your lot. You have even poured out a drink offering to them; you have offered a grain offering; should I be satisfied with these?

7 You have placed your bed on a high and lofty mountain; you also went up there to offer sacrifice.

8 You have set up your memorial behind the door and doorpost. For away from Me, you stripped, went up, and made your bed wide, and you have made a bargain for yourself with them. You have loved their bed; you have gazed on their genitals.

9 You went to the king with oil and multiplied your perfumes; you sent your couriers far away and sent them down even to Sheol.

10 You became weary on your many journeys, but you did not say, “I give up!” You found a renewal of your strength; therefore you did not grow weak.

11 Who was it you dreaded and feared, so that you lied and didn’t remember Me or take it to heart? Have I not kept silent for such a long time and you do not fear Me?

12 I will expose your righteousness, and your works—they will not profit you.

13 When you cry out, let your collection of idols deliver you! The wind will carry all of them off, a breath will take them away. But whoever takes refuge in Me will inherit the land and possess My holy mountain.


Healing and Peace

14 He said, “Build it up, build it up, prepare the way, remove every obstacle from My people’s way.”

15 For the High and Exalted One who lives forever, whose name is Holy says this:

“I live in a high and holy place, and with the oppressed and lowly of spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly and revive the heart of the oppressed.

16 For I will not accuse you forever, and I will not always be angry; for then the spirit would grow weak before Me, even the breath of man, which I have made.

17 Because of his sinful greed I was angry, so I struck him; I was angry and hid; but he went on turning back to the desires of his heart.

18 I have seen his ways, but I will heal him; I will lead him and restore comfort to him and his mourners,

19 creating words of praise.” The Lord says, “Peace, peace to the one who is far or near, and I will heal him.

20 But the wicked are like the storm-tossed sea, for it cannot be still, and its waters churn up mire and muck.

21 There is no peace for the wicked,” says my God.




PERSONAL JOURNAL:


SIN (verse 17): Why do I so often turn back to and give in to my own selfish desires, Father? Why do I often stray from Your path for me to pursue the selfish ways of my flesh and of the world? Please forgive me for giving into this selfishness often, Father. Help me and remind me to stay on the path that You have created for me and for my own good.

PROMISE (verses 18-19): Thank You so much for this amazing promise, Father. You assure us that no mistakes we make can keep You from loving and healing us; that You will always be there to comfort, lead, and heal us. Thank You, Father, for always being there for me and staying faithful to Your promises even when I am not. Thank You for being my comfort no matter how often I fail.

ATTITUDE (verse 4): Father, I often embrace and dwell in an attitude of rebellion. I rebel against Your will, against what is not pleasing to myself, and against the things I know I should be doing. Please help me to change this selfish and rebellious attitude to one that focuses on You and Your will with honor and praise so that I will joyfully walk the path You have chosen for me, Father.

COMMAND (verse 14): Isaiah’s way of writing confuses me a bit, Father. I believe, however, in this verse that You are commanding us to remove any obstacles or distractions that hinder us from truly being in Your will for us and walking on the path You’ve chosen for us. Help me to see clearly the obstacles and distractions You want me to clear from my path, Father, so that I can build a stronger, more intimate relationship with You.

EXAMPLE (verses 13-19): Father, the example You provide us here is so powerful and simple, yet for some reason I fail at it often. You tell us to live in a way that removes the obstacles from our lives that are preventing us from truly seeking You as our refuge and our comforter. To always remember that no matter how often we screw up in this life, to remember that Your peace, Your healing, Your leadership, Your wisdom, and Your comfort are always there for us if we just turn back to You and embrace them. Please help me to lean on You more when obstacles and distractions arise in my life, Father. Help me to remember to quickly turn back to You when I inevitably fail, Father, so that I do not stray too far from Your ways.

*DAILY NOTE: There are so many obstacles that I allow to remain in my life; so many things that are placed in the way to distract me from my relationship with You, Father. Help me to not only get better at removing these obstacles and distractions, but also to put protections in-place that keep those same things from reappearing. Remind me to remove any future obstacles and distractions, but also help me to recognize when they are there as I often fail to even recognize them until it’s too late.


*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.

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