Liz’s Morning Devotional: Scripture selected from Upper Room
January 12, 2025
Isaiah 55:6-13
6 Seek the LORD when he can still be found; call him while he is yet near. 7 Let the wicked abandon their ways and the sinful their schemes. Let them return to the LORD so that he may have mercy on them, to our God, because he is generous with forgiveness. 8 My plans aren’t your plans, nor are your ways my ways, says the LORD. 9 Just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my plans than your plans. 10 Just as the rain and the snow come down from the sky and don’t return there without watering the earth, making it conceive and yield plants and providing seed to the sower and food to the eater, 11 so is my word that comes from my mouth; it does not return to me empty. Instead, it does what I want, and accomplishes what I intend. 12 Yes, you will go out with celebration, and you will be brought back in peace. Even the mountains and the hills will burst into song before you; all the trees of the field will clap their hands. 13 In place of the thorn the cypress will grow; in place of the nettle the myrtle will grow. This will attest to the LORD’s stature, an enduring reminder that won’t be removed.
Good Morning. May you be filled with joy on this Lord’s Day!
I have had experiences where I think I must have walked through the wrong door. I remember walking into my introductory French class during my freshman year of college. There were no prerequisites for this class, but as I sat, I quickly realized that the professor was speaking in French, and I had no idea what he was saying.
I looked around at the other students and saw that they, too, seemed confused, which I found oddly comforting. Typically, our first reaction to such a situation is to walk back out the door quickly. If that is not possible, we might complain that this is too hard or even whine that it’s unfair.
We know that all things are possible for God, so the earthly parameters through which we examine the world may not allow us to see what God sees. Think of looking at a blob of goo. With the naked eye, it’s simply goo. We might see bacteria or cell structures when we examine the same substance under a microscope. The more powerful the microscope, the more we can zoom in and see minuscule things.
God’s lens allows him to find goodness in all, even if it is so obscure that our most powerful tools would miss it. Thanks be to God! When God sends us outside our comfort zones, I believe we are to search and endure until we find the lost one. Just as Jesus left the 99 sheep to find the one who was lost. God sends us to gather the lost and lonely souls. We must trust God and go where we are sent, even when it seems we walked through the wrong door.
Loving Lord, Maker of all things! You are amazing! Help us let go and follow you! Thank you! In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen
Thought for the day: Release control and trust in God.
God’s vision is beyond our understanding! Pastor Liz
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