He will also send you rain for the seed you sow in the ground, and the food that comes from the land will be rich and plentiful. In that day your cattle will graze in broad meadows. – Isaiah 30:23
From “Pearls of Wisdom” about thoughts from Isaiah 30:18-33 when Isaiah prophesizes that God will manifest himself in all of His creation. Sending rain for seed to grow into crops. The cattle to graze in broad meadows (v. 23). Streams of water will flow, the moon will shine like the sun, and the sunlight will be brighter. There will be healing for the people inflicted by the bad decisions of the past.
Isaiah tells us there will be a glorious transformation in beleaguered Jerusalem and there can be a glorious transformation in each of our lives. Let us be patient for God will provide what we need. We will find more abundance, comfort, and joy as the past fades and a brighter future is set in motion. Just like in the song “Healing Rain” by Michael W. Smith.
Some days are just frustrating, and it takes some adjustment and soothing but like a piece of sand irritating an oyster, our irritations might become our pearls.
Today, we are reading Isaiah 30:18-33 about the prophecy of a restored Jerusalem. The people had turned from the Lord, but grace restores. Out of failures, God brings good by helping us learn from the mistakes of the past. He uses the difficulties we go through to bring pearls of wisdom.
If you’ve noticed recently, the big thing today is AI but AI is man-made. There are situations that the developer of AI can’t predict. God made us with a brain to make instant corrections when needed. He also made other people with brains that we can go to for help. I remember several times when colleagues caught an issue of mine before releasing code to production. They caught it before it was deployed and saved much heart ache trying to correct the issue it would have caused.
That’s what Isaiah is doing. He’s trying to give a warning to the people to save them from their mistakes. To correct course and receive the reward God has for them. Isaiah tells us in today’s passage that God will manifest himself in all His creation. Sending rain for seeds to grow into crops. The cattle to graze in broad meadows (v. 23). Streams of water will flow, the moon will shine like the sun, and the sunlight will be brighter. There will be healing for the people inflicted by the bad decisions of the past.
Isaiah tells us there will be a glorious transformation in beleaguered Jerusalem and there can be a glorious transformation in each of our lives. Let us be patient for God will provide what we need. We will find more abundance, comfort, and joy as the past fades and a brighter future is set in motion
God has a plan, and they are better than our plans. I remember one time when I worked on the tech team at my church. A video would not work but the person on the video was in attendance at the worship service, so the pastor was quick on his feet and had the person come up to give his testimony live instead of on the video. It was very powerful.
This day in reading Your Word Lord, we note that Jerusalem needed restoration. We all need some restoration in this broken world, and we can go from devastation to restoration by being patient and making the Holy Spirit our main acquaintance. Help us to endure distress knowing God will bless. Help us to step ahead at a good pace toward the promised reward offered by grace through our acceptance of Jesus as Lord and Savior. We pray in His name. Amen.
Thanks for reading. Please like, follow, and pass on to others … encourage others during times of difficulty.
A thought from John 12:37-50 is that receiving approval from others gives a good feeling but is only short term. On the other hand, approval from God brings joy forever! You are approved by God by accepting Jesus in your heart. That’s when victory in life truly takes place as the Spirit lives inside and you live in the Light of His goodness.
Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you; therefore he will rise up to show you compassion For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him! - Isaiah 30:18
A lesson of “In Awe of the One Who Has Given All” is to turn to God for protection and refuge during difficulty or fear. When afraid, trust in God. Only God can give true confidence so be in awe of the One who has given all. Be committed to Him, plan with Him, and focus on acting on those plans.
Here is a song about having the ability to see our God at work in the things around you. The song is I Saw God Today by George Strait. God’s fingerprints are everywhere so see God in the birth of a newborn, in other people, and in all of His creation.
So many in our world today prefer lies rather than the truth. This day with God, ask for the truth which is found in His Word. Read the scriptures and ask that He reveals a lesson to apply in life. Ask that He reveals himself through His Creation. He’s near and knows your name and has a great purpose for you.
Reading today in Isaiah 30:1-17, we get a prophecy of invasions of Assyria and Babylon which will cause destruction to the city. Israel in their fear, looked down to Egypt for help. They wanted to form an alliance with Egypt for immediate sanctuary.
I remember while off during summers going through college, I worked for a construction company. One summer we worked to repair the roof of an historic train depot. It was hard work, hot, and gave you motivation to get a college degree so you could someday work in a climate-controlled environment.
Not only was it hot, but the roof was 40 feet high and somewhat steep. I found out after a while to stop looking down because my focus was on the negative impact of my body if I were to fall. Would I break a leg, a shoulder, my hips, or scull? Would I survive the fall?
The lesson was to not look down. Like in today’s passage or in my experiences of working construction during my summers while going through college, do not look down. Instead … look up. Look up to God and ask for His help.
In today’s prophecy from Isaiah, there was no consultation with God about an alliance with Egypt. God was not pleased with Egypt because the people of Egypt had rejected Him. They were rebellious and unwilling to listen to His instructions. He says that the help of Egypt would utterly be useless (v. 7).
Like Israel during this time of today’s prophecy, the warning for us is to turn to God for our protection and refuge during difficulty or fear. When afraid, trust in God. Only God can give true confidence so be in awe of the One who has given all. Be committed to Him, plan with Him, and focus on acting on those plans.
Lord, things are scary in this world, but we can take refuge in You. We are focused on You and know You will get us through the scary times. Instead of looking down, we look up to You and our confidence is restored. We can trust Your plan and can step ahead with purpose in every step. Amen.
This Day With God - A Spiritual Journey 
