Today's Scripture Reading (April 11, 2023): Isaiah 33
Grace. It is the one thing we all need, but it is
sometimes unavailable. I have spoken against this siloed society in which we
live. There is an expectation that everyone we meet, and maybe especially
everyone we worship with, will believe precisely as we do, even in the minor
things. And if they don't, we often shun them, trying to force the person into
a belief that matches ours. It is maybe especially prevalent among our
spiritual leaders. Nostalgically, I wonder if there was ever a time when our
spiritual leaders were allowed or even expected to challenge our beliefs, to
truly lead us in "paths of righteousness," and not just expect us to
conform to what they already believe. Was there ever a time that a leader could
lead us to consider that maybe we are wrong in some of what we believe? That is
probably just misguided nostalgia, something that never existed although we
wish it did.
I do not believe I get it all when it comes to God.
There are places where I am unsure of what I should believe or not believe. I
often find myself returning to dwell on what I do know and believe. And chief
among those things is that God is love and that the world will see that we
belong to him because of the presence of love in our lives. For everything
else, I am willing to depend on the grace of God.
Isaiah breathes a prayer as he continues to prophesy
to Judah and Jerusalem. And there is a reality that so much of what is about to
happen is beyond him. He needs to depend on the grace of God. And so he prays, "Lord,
be gracious to us." Extend to us your grace. Be our strength in the
morning when we rise from our beds, as well as in the evening when we succumb
to sleep. And when trouble comes, save us? We understand that what we really need
is you.
For Isaiah, he understood that the threat from which he
needed God to deliver him was the presence of the Assyrians. For us, it is
something else. But regardless of the danger, every day, when we rise, we
recognize our need for God, and every night when we retire to sleep, we ask God
to carry us through the night. He is all that we need or will ever need. And
when danger comes and we are in distress, we know that the one who is with us
when we get up and when we lie down will be our salvation and save us from
whatever it is that the enemy might bring.
Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Isaiah 34
Personal Note: Happy Birthday to my Sister, Cheri.
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