Author: Pastor Doug

Our scripture today is Isaiah 48:18 (ESV).

Oh that you had paid attention to my commandments! Then your peace would have been like a river, and your righteousness like the waves of the sea;

Here we see the conflict we cause our Heavenly Father. His commandments are right and eternal; when we break them there are consequences. Sin can’t exist in God’s presence and without Christ’s sacrifice for us, we couldn’t be saved. He showed us what a life of obedience to God is like and promised us a place in the Father’s house when we accept His forgiveness.

Loving Lord, we are sorry for the times we think Your law doesn’t apply to us. Forgive our foolish and stubborn behavior and set us back on the path to salvation. Amen.

Our scripture today is Isaiah 43:1 (ESV).

But now thus says the Lord, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine.”

From the very beginning God has wanted to be part of our lives and for our lives to be part of what He is doing in the world. He formed us in His own image, the only things in all of creation to receive that gift. When God says “I have called you by name, you are mine” He refers to all of us collectively and each of us individually. In Matthew 10:26-33 Jesus tells us that if God knows the fall of every sparrow, how much more so is He aware of us? He calls us to trust Him and walk by faith.

Loving Lord, You created us out of love that we might be Your partners in the world. We have failed You, yet You continue to wait for our repentance and return. Forgive us, strengthen us, and send us to do the work You have for us. Amen.

Our scripture today is Isaiah 40:3 (ESV).

A voice cries: “In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God.”

The desert wilderness of sin we have allowed here is exactly where we are sent to share God’s love. John the Baptist says of himself “I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’ as the prophet Isaiah said” (John 1:23). He came as a herald of Christ, to make people ready for the Messiah and His lessons. We are given the same task by the Lord Jesus: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:19-20). We are commissioned in His name and He goes with us always.

Heavenly Father, we are sorry for how far we have strayed from You. Forgive us and bless us to share the joy we find in You with the world. Amen.

Our scripture today is Isaiah 40:1-2 (ESV).

Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her that her warfare is ended, that her iniquity is pardoned, that she has received from the Lord’s hand double for all her sins.

Once again Isaiah offers God’s people a hope for the future. The Lord has made a way for us to be forgiven, but we must choose it for ourselves. We have to see the wrong we have done and ask forgiveness. The prophet says we can find comfort in this reconnection. Jesus told the story of a son who took his inheritance and wasted it selfishly. Later when he returns destitute, the father runs to greet him and welcome him home (Luke 15:11-32). This is our story, falling into sin due to our poor choices and coming back with nothing to offer but our repentance. God the Father stands ready to welcome us back!

Gracious God, we are sorry for the way we waste the gifts You have given. Forgive us and send us into the world to share Your love everywhere. Amen.

Our scripture today is Isaiah 35:5 (ESV).

Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped.

Isaiah tells us there is hope for God’s stubborn people. God has made a way for His spiritually blind and deaf children to see and hear His love for them again. God has always been there for us but our willful disobedience in choosing our way instead of His has made us spiritually calloused and unfeeling. When Jesus heals blind and deaf people in the Gospels, it is much more than physical healing. They realize the miracle of course, but more than that, they realize the source of the miracle and the love that made it possible.

Heavenly Father, we are sorry for our poor decisions and often worse actions. Open our eyes, ears, hearts and hands to receive Your love and carry it everywhere. Amen.

Our scripture today is Isaiah 28:16 (ESV).

“therefore thus says the Lord God, “Behold, I am the one who has laid as a foundation in Zion, a stone, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone, of a sure foundation: ‘Whoever believes will not be in haste.’”

Prophets were not wonderfully popular people because they usually brought bad news. Isaiah’s message adds a note of hope, “a foundation in Zion.” This tells God’s people all is not lost, regardless of the dire circumstances they have brought upon themselves. Is Isaiah pointing us to Jesus? The Gospels refer to Him as the cornerstone leading us to forgiveness and redemption. When we put our trust in Jesus we can be restored to a right relationship with God, and sent to share His love with the world.

Gracious God, we know Jesus is our rock and redeemer. Bless us to be the disciples of today, bringing the Good News everywhere. Amen.

Our scripture today is Isaiah 9:6 (ESV).

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Here the prophet makes clear reference to the coming of the Messiah and lists the titles that describe Jesus so well. It speaks of His human lineage through King David’s line, but also His heavenly authority and divine connection. Later in Mathew 1:22-23 we read a quote from Isaiah about Jesus: “All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us).” God knew what we needed to be saved from sin and Jesus is the answer.

Heavenly Father, we are ashamed of our willful disobedience. Please forgive us and bless us to tell everyone of Your love and mercy for us through Jesus Christ. Amen.

Our scripture today is Isaiah 9:2 (ESV).

The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone.

In Isaiah we find many prophetic references to the coming of Jesus. It’s no surprise that 18th century composer George Handel used several verses of Isaiah as the text for his oratorio “The Messiah”. This particular passage is a bass solo in the early portion of the piece. We have been walking in darkness since we chose our own way instead of God’s way. In the beginning, God subdued the darkness of chaos by saying “Let there be light.” Now He sends Jesus, the light of the world and the light of creation to offer us salvation from our sin. We have seen His light and we follow in faith.

Gracious God, in Your mercy You made a way for us to be saved from our sin. Bless us to go in Your name to share the Good News with everyone. Amen.

Our scripture today is Isaiah 6:1 (ESV).

In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple.

Isaiah is one of a select few who have been allowed to see the Lord. This was intended to inspire his ministry, but as we will see, the people do not respond. The timing of his vision “in the year that King Uzziah died” serves to remind us that God was, is and always will be on the throne. When Israel demanded a king to be like the nations around them, Samuel the priest warned them against it (1 Samuel 8). Later, when Jesus came to be with us, some wanted Him to be an earthly king, like their ancestors had requested. We don’t need Jesus to be king of any earthly region, we need to accept Him as the king of our hearts.

Patient God, we are sorry for our sin and the time it takes for us to realize and ask forgiveness. Bless us to be ruled by Your love and to share that love with the world. Amen.

Our scripture today is Isaiah 1:2 (ESV).

Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth; for the Lord has spoken: Children have I reared and brought up, but they have rebelled against me.

In the opening verses of Isaiah God brings His case against humanity. He accuses us of rebellion, but the Lord never speaks falsely so it is literally the truth. We have certainly not upheld our end of the Covenant. This is the message of Isaiah, that we have failed to be God’s people. God sends the prophet Isaiah with harsh words, but as we shall see, not without hope. God’s plan for us has never changed, it is up to us to return in repentance to rejoin it.

Loving Lord, thank You for sending prophets to warn us of our wayward behavior. Bless us to go in Your name to tell the world the joy we find in You. Amen.