Today’s scripture: Isaiah 43:1-7 (NRSV) (KJV) (The Message) What might God be saying to me?
My thoughts (Steve Adams):
When I was twelve years old, my grandmother told me, “When I was sixteen, I thought I knew everything there was to know! I thought I was so smart!” My immediate thought (which I didn’t verbalize) was “When you’re 16, you DO know just about everything, don’t you?” By the time I eventually did turn 16, there was, of course, still so much I didn’t know! Then I looked forward to college as the time when I’d be filled with all knowledge, but, no — it didn’t happen! After that, I thought learning about the Bible and becoming a committed Christian would do the trick. As much as that helped, I still wasn’t there by a long shot. Later I thought maybe retirement would give me the time to “learn it all.”
I’ve come to the realization that there will be important things I’ll need to learn every day for the rest of my life, even if I live to be 100, and even then, my knowledge will only be partial. I think this is true even for the most enlightened among us. It’s not a weak faith that realizes there’s a lot more to learn, but a strong one.
This directly relates to Israel as described by Isaiah. If anyone should be wise, it should be God’s chosen people, right? It would have been easy for them to think they knew more than everybody else. Well, God had a different assessment! “Who is blind but my servant, or deaf like my messenger whom I send? . . . He sees many things, but does not observe them; his ears are open, but he does not hear.” (42:19a and 20). Israel had been missing it, off the mark, falling far short of the quality of life God wanted for them.
However, I think something powerfully life-changing took place in the heart of the people of Israel which enabled them to receive the sterling promises made in today’s scripture. They came to realize that they not only didn’t know it all, but needed to orient their entire souls to God in a deeper, more earnest way than they ever had before. They realized they needed to repent. And they did! As a result, they hungered for God’s blessings to reach others, not just themselves.
“I have taken you by the hand and kept you. . . to open the eyes that are blind, to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon.” Isaiah 42:6b, 7b.
Prayer for the day: Lord, I hunger to learn more of your precious knowledge and wisdom! Help me never to be complacent with what I now know, but always eager to learn the lessons you want to teach me, and that I so desperately need to learn.
We encourage you to include a time of prayer with this reading. If you need a place to get started, consider the guidelines on the How to Pray page.