Today’s scripture: Isaiah 51:1-16 (NRSV) (The Message) (KJV) What might God be saying to me?
My thoughts (Angie Best):
Famous last words. Anytime I’ve stepped out of line, dared to dream, to question the status quo, to stand up, speak out, or move beyond the parameters set by myself or someone else — that question comes from somewhere.
I’ve been asked it by church leaders, by partners, by teachers, by bosses. But mostly, I’ve asked it of myself. Who do I think I am to do this thing, to write this book, stand this ground? Especially because I’ve failed spectacularly. In a hundred ways. And in my returning, there are times God’s still, small voice gets drowned out by that one question — who do you think you are?
The prophet Isaiah answers it when he urges his listeners to follow his teachings in verse 1. “Listen to me, you who pursue righteousness and who seek the Lord: Look to the rock from which you were cut and to the quarry from which you were hewn.”
In the simplest terms, a rock quarry is a place where little rocks are made from big rocks. Inanimate, cold slabs are chiseled away, chip by chip, flake by flake until never seen before layers are revealed in their full glory. Dusty and born of death, the rocks still speaks of life under a sculptor’s touch.
Isaiah says this is where we come from. First Peter echoes Isaiah’s words in 2:5 as he says, “You also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.”
God’s voice whispers through time, and the pages of Scripture to say that we too, are part of a bigger picture, we are a reflection of God’s creative genius, and glorious things can be shaped through our faithfulness.
When we ask who we are to dare to serve and grow and dream, we are afraid that the chipping and hammering, chiseling and polishing will leave us exposed to failure. We fear God’s shaping of us; hesitant to face what His words might reveal. We are convinced our blemishes and weaknesses render us unusable for the kingdom’s masterpiece.
What we fail to recognize is God has already been chiseling away at us, mostly in ways we don’t recognize in the moment. But when we stop back look, we see the chips of stone that have accumulated around us. Patterns of grace and challenge emerge, and we recognize, with relief, the mark of God’s handiwork, revealed only in hindsight. God is already at work in us. Using us, flaws and all.
Who do we think we are? Isaiah confirms our place in the kingdom with these words in v 16: “I have put my words in your mouth and covered you with the shadow of my hand — I who set the heavens in place, who laid the foundations of the earth, and who say to Zion, ‘You are my people.’”
Thought for the day: Chiseling God, grant me the space and the wisdom to measure the difference you have made in my life. Show me your hand in my story.
We encourage you to include a time of prayer with this reading. If you need a place to get started, consider the suggestions on the How to Pray page.