Today’s scripture: Isaiah 66 (NRSV) (The Message) (KJV) What might God be saying to me?
My thoughts (David Zier):
We have reached the end of the Book of Isaiah. This is the last Be Still devotional from Isaiah.
Our spiritual ancestors in the Old Testament sometimes talked about God in ways that seem foreign to me. Not living in their world at their time is difficult for me to understand their perspective. What Isaiah was sharing in this passage is not the loving God I know. As I read this, I thought, “What am I going to write?”
Then, in an instant, it was clear. When I look at these passages and words, I realized that we make choices in life that take us in different directions. When we make choices that take us away from God, our lives have less meaning and we can become anxious, full of fear, and make bad choices. We are human, and life happens, and we will find ourselves in places of fear and anxiety. This was happening to the Israelites, and Isaiah was a prophet warning of those outcomes and the things to follow.
With all of the warnings that Isaiah has given us, I want to leave this last chapter with just a simple message Isaiah has shared with us over and over throughout the Book, and in this last Chapter. It is not rocket science. It is this:
“Praise God, and your life will be better.”
As we choose to praise God in our lives, we also lift up each other, and express gratefulness, even for the small things. We can also bless others, help others, and do things to make each others lives better. All of these things are praising God!
As Isaiah has been telling us, Praising God will change us.
Jesus tells us that the Kingdom of God is here. Jesus also tells us to focus on the things of God, like loving God and others, and showing forgiveness to others, and caring for others, especially those in need. In other words, do things that bring peace and justice to our lives. There are some things that are difficult to forgive, but Jesus wants us to live into a way of being that helps us live freely and not be bound by what hurts us and holds us back from being whole and loving people.
So what have you learned from the Book of Isaiah? Yes, it is complicated. But when you stand back, and look at the landscape that Isaiah has painted, it can show two visions. One is where we are separated from God, like a picture of a storm. Picture in your mind the tornado in the Wizard of Oz, wreaking havoc on the land, tossing us to and from. Or, another landscape, where calm waters brush up against the sand, and there is a sense of calm and peace. In reality, we can be somewhere in between. But when we focus on the things of God, and praise God, we are getting closer and closer to the shore of that peaceful landscape.
Thought for the day: Isaiah paints many landscapes of the life of the Israelites. What does my landscape look like today?
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.