By: Angie Feuerstein
Begin with 2 minutes of silence
Scripture
Isaiah 49:8-16 (NLT)
8This is what the Lord says:
“At just the right time, I will respond to you.
On the day of salvation I will help you.
I will protect you and give you to the people
as my covenant with them.
Through you will reestablish the land of Israel
and assign it to its own people again.
9I will say to the prisoners, ‘Come out in freedom’
and to those in darkness, ‘Come into the light.’
They will be my sheep, grazing in green pastures
and on hills that were previously bare.
10They will neither hunger nor thirst.
The searing sun will not reach them anymore.
For the Lord in his mercy will lead them;
he will lead them beside cool waters.
11And I will make my mountains into level paths for them.
The highways will be raised above the valleys.
12See, my people will return from far away,
from lands to the north and west,
and from as far south as Egypt.”
13Sing for joy, O heavens!
Rejoice, O earth!
Burst into song, O mountains!
For the Lord has comforted his people
and will have compassion on them in their suffering.
14Yet Jerusalem says, ‘The Lord has deserted us;
the Lord has forgotten us.”
15“Never! Can a mother forget her nursing child?
Can she feel no love for the child she has borne?
But even if that were possible, I would not forget you!
16See, I have written your name on the palms of my hands.
Always in my mind is a picture of Jerusalem’s walls in ruins.
Devotional Thoughts
Such hope and promise upon promise fills this passage! “…at just the right time, I will respond to you….” The Lord is always right on time.
“There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every matter under heaven—“ Ecclesiastes 3:1, NASB
How steadfast is hope founded upon the Eternal? God spoke and there was light. What more assurance is needed of His capacity to deliver?
To hope is to want something to happen or to be true, and usually have a good reason to think that it might. Indeed, in our mighty triune God we have good reason. It remains for us to grasp hope, extended like a scepter from the very substance of God’s proven character, His essence, power, and reality.
Consider Holocaust survivor Corrie TenBoom’s childhood lesson in The Hiding Place, as her father comforted her fears.…
“Father sat down on the edge of the narrow bed. 'Corrie,’ he began gently, ‘when you and I go to Amsterdam-when do I give you your ticket?’ I sniffed a few times, considering this. ‘Why, just before we get on the train.’”
Questions to Consider
What are you hoping for? Where might you be lacking trust by keeping hope at bay? How can you reach out to grasp hope that the Lord’s provision is always right on time?
Prayer
My hope is in you, faithful Father. Please open my eyes to your sovereignty and faithfulness today. Thank you for always remembering me and providing right on time. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
End with 2 minutes of silence
