Isaiah 30:12-33:12; Galatians 5:1-12; Psalm 63:1-11; Proverbs 23:22
So many rich passages of Scripture were in today’s reading.
So many that are familiar to us and probably some many of us have even
memorized. Here are some of my favorite sections from today:
Isaiah 30:13-14 -“This sin will become for you like a high
wall, cracked and bulging, that collapses suddenly, in an instant. It will
break in pieces like pottery, shattered so mercilessly that among its pieces
not a fragment will be found.”
I love this imagery and how completely it captures the nature of sin. Sin
gives the illusion of security (the wall) and completeness (whole pottery), but it’s
not what it seems. Rather, sin cracks, collapses, shatters, and leaves complete
devastation.
Isaiah 30:15- “In repentance and rest is your
salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength.”
Ahh, here is our security, strength, and completeness. I memorized this
verse a few years back. This verse is almost counterintuitive, but so true.
Repentance is such a good thing, such a powerful thing.
Isaiah 30:18- “The Lord longs to be gracious to you;
he rises to show you compassion.”
What a tender and merciful God we serve. Thank you, Lord.
Isaiah 30:21- “Whether you turn to the right or to
the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you saying, ‘This is the way; walk
in it.’”
Another verse that’s great for memorizing. And, thanks to one of my Jr. High
leaders who put this verse to music, it was easy for me to do. Thanks, Bob!
Isaiah 31:1- “Woe to those who go down to Egypt for
help, who rely on horses, who trust in the multitude of their chariots and in
the great strength of their horsemen, but do not look to the Holy One of
Israel, or seek help from the Lord.”
We may not look to Egypt or horsemen these days to find help or deliverance,
but we certainly look to other sources besides our great God. We go to money or to our own hands to work harder to make more money. We trust in the multitude
of our investments and provisions we have built up. We look to the government
or institutions to keep us safe. Let us instead look to the Holy One, the God
of all the earth.
Galatians 5:1- “It is for freedom that Christ has set
us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a
yoke of slavery.”
Love, love, love this verse. It is for freedom we have been set free! We are
free! So walk in freedom. We don’t have to remain in sin; we have been set
free to
be free!
Psalm 63:1,5- “O God, you are my God, earnestly I
seek you; my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you, in a dry and weary
land where there is no water…My soul will be satisfied with the richest of
foods; with singing lips my mouth will praise you.”
This is not always my experience of God. I don’t always long for him like the psalmist describes, but I want to. I want to hunger and thirst for him beyond
all else. Only he satisfies. He is so worthy of our lives and of our praise.
- Mary Matthias
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