They raise their voices, they shout for joy; from the west they acclaim the Lord’s majesty - Isaiah 24:14
Difficult situations provide the opportunity for God to defy the odds and we can be a part of the victorious side that ushers in an amazing future!
Inspired by “Transition to Something More”, below is a short poem.
Within all the mirth God devastates the earth There was a lot of wrong Humanity brought it on For lack of pursuance To the ordinance But some burst into song For they had remained strong
Look forward to singing praises to God each day to build up a strong faith and know that like the lyrics go to the song Strong by Anne Wilson, we can’t do it on our own, but with Jesus we have the strong arms of our Savior who holds on to us.
Life can be disappointing with things that we have no control over and things in our past that put up obstacles for our future but God has a way to remove those obstacles. Jesus has made the path clear so our past is a clean slate and our confidence for the future is increased because we have access to more power than we could even imagine.
Reading Isaiah 24, the prophecy is that the Lord will judge His enemies. Today’s passage is about the end of times or the Day of Judgment. Humanity will bring it on for not following the Way of God. The stage will be set with wars, disasters, disease, and famine.
Even with the obstacles we face, with God we can transition to something more … to a higher state of being. “What the caterpillar calls the end of the world, the Master calls the butterfly.” [1] The caterpillar’s old body dies, and a new body will form inside a protective shell. As time goes by, a thing of beauty emerges from the cocoon.
Difficult situations provide the opportunity for God to defy the odds and we can be on a victorious side that ushers in an amazing future! In a twinkling of an eye, the Lord will return and believers in Jesus will burst into song because they remained strong.
At that point, all things will be completely transformed. Earth will be renewed, there will be peace, and things of beauty will cover the earth. Jesus will reign as King of the new earth with the Light of Truth and the joy of everlasting life.
With You Lord Jesus, we transition to something more. We accept the Way and keep in step with the Spirit by following and obeying. It takes a lot of practice, and we practice our faith so it’s available when we need it. We read the Word, pray, and document what we hear, what we see, and what we feel. We overcome the obstacles faced by finding rest in You Lord because we know that You are setting things up for a future beyond what we can even imagine. Our hope is in You Lord Jesus for You are the Light and the Truth. Amen.
A thought from John 11:45-57 is that there is a need to rely on God for the possible when it seems impossible. When a plot to kill Jesus started, He went to a small village away from the public. He stayed with His disciples to prepare them for the rough days ahead. He gave up some comforts and went through adversity in order to fulfill His purpose; to die on the cross and save those who sought after Him.
For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us. – Psalm 103:12
From “The Better Way” another great city is prophesized to feel the destructive wrath of God who hates greed and pride This would lead to the ruin of Tyre (v. 9). Tyre was a great city of trade during the time of Isaiah as ships from the eastern coastal city of Tyre would deliver items to far off places like Tarshish in the western part of the Mediterranean near Crete or off the coast of Spain. It made many people wealthy, but these people were not good stewards of the resources given.
This day with God, make your dreams and God’s dreams for you come true by being a good steward of the resources you’ve been given. Think of ways to use technology like WordPress which does not cost anything and is not too complicated to use. Use your talent of writing to build kingdom wealth by mining spiritual treasure from the Word of God. Then share this useful and meaningful treasure with others in an efficient way.
I remember a sermon from Reverend Molly Simpson years ago. The thought was that Jesus is better than the many things that the world offers so we should spend our time and money devoted to His Way. We should keep paying attention to the instructions given, the wonders, the signs, and to stay the course. Don’t get distracted but stay focused on Jesus who provides the better Way.
Reading today Isaiah 23, the better way was not being followed and another great city is prophesized to feel the destructive wrath of God. God hates pride and this would lead to the ruin of Tyre (v. 9).
The coastal city of Tyre is in present day Lebanon. During the time of today’s passage, merchants were made wealthy through trading. Ships from the Mediterranean would come from Tarshish (either Crete or off the coast of Spain), Italy, Greece, and pass by Cyprus over to the city of Tyre which is northeast of Jerusalem.
The city was full of greed and pride. God wants our money to be a benefit for a society and He wants people to be treated right. He controls all nations and in today’s passage, we are told that for 70 years Tyre would no longer be a great city until the Lord would let Tyre back into business (v. 15). Profits would then be set apart for the Lord (v. 18).
The lesson for us is to use material wealth to benefit society. To give incentive to those that work hard for their dreams coming true but at the same time, for them to be good stewards of the resources they’ve been given.
This day with You God, building spiritual treasure is our top priority and not worldly wealth. Use our talents and time in order to build kingdom wealth as we mine for spiritual treasure from Your Word to share with others. Help us to be good stewards of the resources we’ve been given. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
This Day With God - A Spiritual Journey 