Do not be afraid - apart from the Lord there is no Savior.

Nov. 11, 2013 - Isaiah 43:13

    ¹ But now, this is what the LORD says—
   he who created you, Jacob,
   he who formed you, Israel:
“Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;
   I have summoned you by name; you are mine.
² When you pass through the waters,
   I will be with you;
and when you pass through the rivers,
   they will not sweep over you.
When you walk through the fire,
   you will not be burned;
   the flames will not set you ablaze.
³ For I am the LORD your God,
   the Holy One of Israel, your Savior;
I give Egypt for your ransom,
   Cush and Seba in your stead.
⁴ Since you are precious and honored in my sight,
   and because I love you,
I will give people in exchange for you,
   nations in exchange for your life.
⁵ Do not be afraid, for I am with you;
   I will bring your children from the east
   and gather you from the west.
⁶ I will say to the north, ‘Give them up!’
   and to the south, ‘Do not hold them back.’
Bring my sons from afar
   and my daughters from the ends of the earth—
⁷ everyone who is called by my name,
   whom I created for my glory,
   whom I formed and made.”

   ⁸ Lead out those who have eyes but are blind,
   who have ears but are deaf.
⁹ All the nations gather together
   and the peoples assemble.
Which of their gods foretold this
   and proclaimed to us the former things?
Let them bring in their witnesses to prove they were right,
   so that others may hear and say, “It is true.”
¹⁰ “You are my witnesses,” declares the LORD,
   “and my servant whom I have chosen,
so that you may know and believe me
   and understand that I am he.
Before me no god was formed,
   nor will there be one after me.
¹¹ I, even I, am the LORD,
   and apart from me there is no savior.
¹² I have revealed and saved and proclaimed—
   I, and not some foreign god among you.
You are my witnesses,” declares the LORD, “that I am God.
   ¹³ Yes, and from ancient days I am he.
No one can deliver out of my hand.
   When I act, who can reverse it?”

Isaiah saw the vision that apart from God there is no Savior. The Lord God called and chose Israel to be His servant and witnesses. Though they passed through waters and fire, the Lord would still be with them; they would not be burned and would not be swept away. God's people are precious and honored in His sight, and because the Lord loved them, He would save and provide the ransom. 

My Master Lord, thanks for choosing me to be your servant and witness. You promise to be with me whatever I pass through fires and water. Fires will not burn me, and waters will not sweep over me. You love me - You reveal, You save, and You proclaim that apart from You there is no Savior. Do not be afraid - You are my God. 

Do not become a blind and deaf servant of the Lord.

November 9, 2013 - Isaiah 42:18-25

    ¹⁸ “Hear, you deaf;
   look, you blind, and see!
¹⁹ Who is blind but my servant,
   and deaf like the messenger I send?
Who is blind like the one in covenant with me,
   blind like the servant of the LORD?
²⁰ You have seen many things, but you pay no attention;
   your ears are open, but you do not listen.”
²¹ It pleased the LORD
   for the sake of his righteousness
   to make his law great and glorious.
²² But this is a people plundered and looted,
   all of them trapped in pits
   or hidden away in prisons.
They have become plunder,
   with no one to rescue them;
they have been made loot,
   with no one to say, “Send them back.”

   ²³ Which of you will listen to this
   or pay close attention in time to come?
²⁴ Who handed Jacob over to become loot,
   and Israel to the plunderers?
Was it not the LORD,
   against whom we have sinned?
For they would not follow his ways;
   they did not obey his law.
²⁵ So he poured out on them his burning anger,
   the violence of war.
It enveloped them in flames, yet they did not understand;
   it consumed them, but they did not take it to heart.

Jesus is the Servant of the Lord who chose and delighted in. However, Isaiah saw another vision that Israel was also the servant of the Lord but was a servant who was blind and deaf. Israel saw the new things the Lord had done but she paid no attention to; Israel heard the words of the Lord but did not follow. Israel, though being a servant of the Lord, did not follow the ways of the Lord. Israel was disciplined and had become plunder and loot by the gentiles. 

My Master Lord, we are Your servants to follow Your ways. You have opened our eyes to see the new things You have done in us; You have opened our ears to listen to Your words; You have sent Your chosen Servant of the Lord, Jesus Christ, to be our Master and Teacher. Let's follow Your ways and being Your faithful servants of the Lord. My dear Lord, open my eyes to see the new things You are doing while my physical eyes fade; open my ears to listen to Your words while I meditate on You; igniting the passion in my heart as I stand before You - "Here am I, send me!"

Join God's people to sing a new song to the Lord.

November 8, 2013 - Isaiah 42:10-17

    ¹⁰ Sing to the LORD a new song,
   his praise from the ends of the earth,
you who go down to the sea, and all that is in it,
   you islands, and all who live in them.
¹¹ Let the wilderness and its towns raise their voices;
   let the settlements where Kedar lives rejoice.
Let the people of Sela sing for joy;
   let them shout from the mountaintops.
¹² Let them give glory to the LORD
   and proclaim his praise in the islands.
¹³ The LORD will march out like a champion,
   like a warrior he will stir up his zeal;
with a shout he will raise the battle cry
   and will triumph over his enemies.

   ¹⁴ “For a long time I have kept silent,
   I have been quiet and held myself back.
But now, like a woman in childbirth,
   I cry out, I gasp and pant.
¹⁵ I will lay waste the mountains and hills
   and dry up all their vegetation;
I will turn rivers into islands
   and dry up the pools.
¹⁶ I will lead the blind by ways they have not known,
   along unfamiliar paths I will guide them;
I will turn the darkness into light before them
   and make the rough places smooth.
These are the things I will do;
   I will not forsake them.
¹⁷ But those who trust in idols,
   who say to images, ‘You are our gods,’
   will be turned back in utter shame.

Prophet Isaiah joined singing the song of praise of God's people to the Lord. This is a new song singing to the Lord as He has done new things on earth. This is the song that can only be sung by the redeemed as they experience God's works in their lives. Isaiah Prophet saw the vision that the Lord raised Himself up as a warrior and champion, conquering His enemies. The Lord did not keep Himself silent anymore and hold Himself back; He cried out and destroyed all the obstacles; He came to rescue the blind and the needy; He never forsook them. He proclaimed Himself to be the Lord.

Dear Lord, let me start this morning with praise to You; let me join the prophet and Your people to sing song of praise to You. You are the Lord; You never forsake Your people; You never leave Your glory to the idols; You are the warrior and champion who leads us to have the victory over Your enemies. Experience Your works afresh daily and sing new songs to You always. 

Our Lord Jesus Christ - the most wonderful Servant of the Lord.

November 7, 2013 - Isaiah 42:1-9

    ¹ “Here is my servant, whom I uphold,
   my chosen one in whom I delight;
I will put my Spirit on him,
   and he will bring justice to the nations.
² He will not shout or cry out,
   or raise his voice in the streets.
³ A bruised reed he will not break,
   and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out.
In faithfulness he will bring forth justice;
   ⁴ he will not falter or be discouraged
till he establishes justice on earth.
   In his teaching the islands will put their hope.”

   ⁵ This is what God the LORD says—
the Creator of the heavens, who stretches them out,
   who spreads out the earth with all that springs from it,
   who gives breath to its people,
   and life to those who walk on it:
⁶ “I, the LORD, have called you in righteousness;
   I will take hold of your hand.
I will keep you and will make you
   to be a covenant for the people
   and a light for the Gentiles,
⁷ to open eyes that are blind,
   to free captives from prison
   and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness.

   ⁸ “I am the LORD; that is my name!
   I will not yield my glory to another
   or my praise to idols.
⁹ See, the former things have taken place,
   and new things I declare;
before they spring into being
   I announce them to you.”

Prophet Isaiah saw the most wonderful vision of God's salvation. He saw how the Lord raised up the Servant of the Lord - He upheld the Servant; He chose the Servant; He delighted in the Servant; He put His Spirit on the Servant. The Servant of the Lord is our most beloved Master Jesus Christ who brings justice to the nations and at the same time gently treats the weak and needy - He will not break a bruised reed and snuff out a smoldering wick. Our Lord Jesus Christ becomes a covenant for God's people and a light for the gentiles; He opens eyes that are blind, and releases people who are in prison and sit in darkness. The Lord has declared that he will do new things and will not yield His glory to idols. 

My Master Jesus, You are the most wonderful Servant of the Lord. That's my honor to be Your servant and to follow Your way of justice and mercy to the needy. Follow Your humility; follow Your mercy; follow Your righteousness; follow Your faithfulness to the Lord; follow Your footsteps to be a light to the blind, the captives, and those who sit in darkness. My dear Lord, thanks for choosing me to be the beloved son of the heavenly Father, the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit, the friend of my Master Jesus, and also the servant like the Servant of the Lord. 

The Lord will turn the deserts into pools of water and the parched grounds into springs.

November 6, 2013 - Isaiah 41:17-29

¹⁷ “The poor and needy search for water,
   but there is none;
   their tongues are parched with thirst.
But I the LORD will answer them;
   I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them.
¹⁸ I will make rivers flow on barren heights,
   and springs within the valleys.
I will turn the desert into pools of water,
   and the parched ground into springs.
¹⁹ I will put in the desert
   the cedar and the acacia, the myrtle and the olive.
I will set junipers in the wasteland,
   the fir and the cypress together,
²⁰ so that people may see and know,
   may consider and understand,
that the hand of the LORD has done this,
   that the Holy One of Israel has created it.

   ²¹ “Present your case,” says the LORD.
   “Set forth your arguments,” says Jacob’s King.
²² “Tell us, you idols,
   what is going to happen.
Tell us what the former things were,
   so that we may consider them
   and know their final outcome.
Or declare to us the things to come,
   ²³ tell us what the future holds,
   so we may know that you are gods.
Do something, whether good or bad,
   so that we will be dismayed and filled with fear.
²⁴ But you are less than nothing
   and your works are utterly worthless;
   whoever chooses you is detestable.

   ²⁵ “I have stirred up one from the north, and he comes—
   one from the rising sun who calls on my name.
He treads on rulers as if they were mortar,
   as if he were a potter treading the clay.
²⁶ Who told of this from the beginning, so we could know,
   or beforehand, so we could say, ‘He was right’?
No one told of this,
   no one foretold it,
   no one heard any words from you.
²⁷ I was the first to tell Zion, ‘Look, here they are!’
   I gave to Jerusalem a messenger of good news.
²⁸ I look but there is no one—
   no one among the gods to give counsel,
   no one to give answer when I ask them.
²⁹ See, they are all false!
   Their deeds amount to nothing;
   their images are but wind and confusion.

Prophet Isaiah saw the vision that the Lord was going to do new things on earth. The Lord, the God of Israel, had not forsaken the poor and the needy. He would turn the desert into pools of water, and parched ground into springs. People would then consider and understand that the Lord has done this. Isaiah envisioned that the Spirit, like pools of water and springs of water, will soon satisfy human's thirst and needs. The poor and needy will be satisfied; the foolish will become wise; the dead will be alive again by the Spirit. 

Dear Lord, open my eyes to see what Isaiah has seen; open my eyes to see how the thirsty will be satisfied, the poor will be fed, the needy will be fulfilled; open my eyes to see how the deserts and parched grounds of human's souls will be turned into springs and fertile land by the Spirit. Nothing is impossible in God who is the Lord of the earth. 

God chooses the weak to become His powerful witness on earth.

November 5, 2013 - Isaiah 41:1-16

The Helper of Israel

    ¹ “Be silent before me, you islands!
   Let the nations renew their strength!
Let them come forward and speak;
   let us meet together at the place of judgment.

   ² “Who has stirred up one from the east,
   calling him in righteousness to his service?
He hands nations over to him
   and subdues kings before him.
He turns them to dust with his sword,
   to windblown chaff with his bow.
³ He pursues them and moves on unscathed,
   by a path his feet have not traveled before.
⁴ Who has done this and carried it through,
   calling forth the generations from the beginning?
I, the LORD—with the first of them
   and with the last—I am he.”

   ⁵ The islands have seen it and fear;
   the ends of the earth tremble.
They approach and come forward;
   ⁶ they help each other
   and say to their companions, “Be strong!”
⁷ The metalworker encourages the goldsmith,
   and the one who smooths with the hammer
   spurs on the one who strikes the anvil.
One says of the welding, “It is good.”
   The other nails down the idol so it will not topple.

   ⁸ “But you, Israel, my servant,
   Jacob, whom I have chosen,
   you descendants of Abraham my friend,
⁹ I took you from the ends of the earth,
   from its farthest corners I called you.
I said, ‘You are my servant’;
   I have chosen you and have not rejected you.
¹⁰ So do not fear, for I am with you;
   do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you;
   I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

   ¹¹ “All who rage against you
   will surely be ashamed and disgraced;
those who oppose you
   will be as nothing and perish.
¹² Though you search for your enemies,
   you will not find them.
Those who wage war against you
   will be as nothing at all.
¹³ For I am the LORD your God
   who takes hold of your right hand
and says to you, Do not fear;
   I will help you.
¹⁴ Do not be afraid, you worm Jacob,
   little Israel, do not fear,
for I myself will help you,” declares the LORD,
   your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel.
¹⁵ “See, I will make you into a threshing sledge,
   new and sharp, with many teeth.
You will thresh the mountains and crush them,
   and reduce the hills to chaff.
¹⁶ You will winnow them, the wind will pick them up,
   and a gale will blow them away.
But you will rejoice in the LORD
   and glory in the Holy One of Israel.

Prophet Isaiah saw the vision that the Lord called Israel to be His servant. Israel, was seen weak in other nations' eyes, and like a worm Jacob. But the Lord promised to uphold Jacob with His righteous hand, and the Lord called Himself to be the Redeemer and the Holy One of Israel. Jacob was not to be afraid; God has chosen Jacob and will not reject Jacob. Jacob will soon be strengthened by the Lord to be like a threshing sledge, new and sharp, and threshing and crushing the mountain ahead of him. The weak one Jacob, chosen by the Lord, will become the most powerful instrument for proclaiming the Name of the Lord on earth. 

My dear Lord, You are the Redeemer and the Holy One of Your people. On whom we can be dependent. You choose us to be Your Witness; You choose us to be Your servant on earth; You choose us to destroy all the strongholds that hinder people to come to You; and You are our strength to rejoice forever. 

Renew your strength from the Lord - Soar on wings like eagles in the sky.

November 4, 2013 - Isaiah 40:23-31

²³ He brings princes to naught
   and reduces the rulers of this world to nothing.
²⁴ No sooner are they planted,
   no sooner are they sown,
   no sooner do they take root in the ground,
than he blows on them and they wither,
   and a whirlwind sweeps them away like chaff.

   ²⁵ “To whom will you compare me?
   Or who is my equal?” says the Holy One.
²⁶ Lift up your eyes and look to the heavens:
   Who created all these?
He who brings out the starry host one by one
   and calls forth each of them by name.
Because of his great power and mighty strength,
   not one of them is missing.

   ²⁷ Why do you complain, Jacob?
   Why do you say, Israel,
“My way is hidden from the LORD;
   my cause is disregarded by my God”?
²⁸ Do you not know?
   Have you not heard?
The LORD is the everlasting God,
   the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
   and his understanding no one can fathom.
²⁹ He gives strength to the weary
   and increases the power of the weak.
³⁰ Even youths grow tired and weary,
   and young men stumble and fall;
³¹ but those who hope in the LORD
   will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
   they will run and not grow weary,
   they will walk and not be faint.

Prophet Isaiah saw the vision that all authorities compare to God are nothing. They are like flowers that fade, or chaff in the whirlwind. He saw that our God is the most Mighty and Wise God. He is the everlasting God and the Creator of the ends of the earth. He never gets weary or tired and at the same time gives strength to the weary and power to the weak. Strength and power belongs to God alone. Prophet Isaiah saw the vision that the weak or weary, once relying power and strength from the Lord, can renew their strength and fly again like an eagle which soars on wings in the sky. Prophet Isaiah envisions the spiritual life of a Christian is the life of freedom, like eagles soaring in the sky on wings that conquers the earthly attraction, temptations, and all kinds of evil powers. 

Dear Lord, thanks for Your wonderful promise to me that I can also live a life of freedom, and a life of power and strength that comes from You. You call me to soar in the sky that conquers my fear, lack of faith, inner drives or complusiveness of own satisfaction, Satanic temptations, or all other kinds of earthly authorities. Draw me closer to You daily to put my hope in You, to praise You, to live out Your calling for bringing blessings to others. 

Our Lord is the most Majestic One of the universe.

November 3, 2013 - Isaiah 40:12-22

 ¹² Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand,
   or with the breadth of his hand marked off the heavens?
Who has held the dust of the earth in a basket,
   or weighed the mountains on the scales
   and the hills in a balance?
¹³ Who can fathom the Spirit of the LORD,
   or instruct the LORD as his counselor?
¹⁴ Whom did the LORD consult to enlighten him,
   and who taught him the right way?
Who was it that taught him knowledge,
   or showed him the path of understanding?

   ¹⁵ Surely the nations are like a drop in a bucket;
   they are regarded as dust on the scales;
   he weighs the islands as though they were fine dust.
¹⁶ Lebanon is not sufficient for altar fires,
   nor its animals enough for burnt offerings.
¹⁷ Before him all the nations are as nothing;
   they are regarded by him as worthless
   and less than nothing.

   ¹⁸ With whom, then, will you compare God?
   To what image will you liken him?
¹⁹ As for an idol, a metalworker casts it,
   and a goldsmith overlays it with gold
   and fashions silver chains for it.
²⁰ A person too poor to present such an offering
   selects wood that will not rot;
they look for a skilled worker
   to set up an idol that will not topple.

²¹ Do you not know? 
   Have you not heard? 
Has it not been told you from the beginning? 
   Have you not understood since the earth was founded? 
²² He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth, 
   and its people are like grasshoppers. 
He stretches out the heavens like a canopy, 
   and spreads them out like a tent to live in. 

Isaiah saw the vision that the hope of God's people comes from God who is the most Mighty One of the universe. His hand created the mountain and the earth. He is merely just like a giant compared to the earth. His hand holds the waters, measures the heavens, and lifts up the weight of the earth. He is the most wise One, and no one can fathom the Spirit or wisdom of the Lord. He alone is the Majestic One who sits enthroned above the earth, and no idol made by men can compared with Him. 

My most Majestic, Mighty, and Wise God who is also my Shepherd, may I lift up my spirit to worship and praise You in the early morning. The beginning of my life shall start with worship as You are my God whom no one or other idol can compare with. Whom should I fear of apart from You? What should I worry about? Worshiping my God and trusting my Mighty Shepherd is the only response to all circumstances of my life. My Lord, sharpen my heart with passion for loving You and shaping my life with Christ-likedness that I become a masterpiece of Your hand for Your Kingdom. 

Shout on the top of the mountain - here is God, our Shepherd.

November 2, 2013 - Isaiah 40:1-11

    ¹ Comfort, comfort my people,
   says your God.
² Speak tenderly to Jerusalem,
   and proclaim to her
that her hard service has been completed,
   that her sin has been paid for,
that she has received from the LORD’s hand
   double for all her sins.

   ³ A voice of one calling:
“In the wilderness prepare
   the way for the LORD;
make straight in the desert
   a highway for our God.
⁴ Every valley shall be raised up,
   every mountain and hill made low;
the rough ground shall become level,
   the rugged places a plain.
⁵ And the glory of the LORD will be revealed,
   and all people will see it together. For the mouth of the LORD has spoken.”

   ⁶ A voice says, “Cry out.”
   And I said, “What shall I cry?”

   “All people are like grass,
   and all their faithfulness is like the flowers of the field.
⁷ The grass withers and the flowers fall,
   because the breath of the LORD blows on them.
   Surely the people are grass.
⁸ The grass withers and the flowers fall,
   but the word of our God endures forever.”

   ⁹ You who bring good news to Zion,
   go up on a high mountain.
You who bring good news to Jerusalem,
   lift up your voice with a shout,
lift it up, do not be afraid;
   say to the towns of Judah,
   “Here is your God!”
¹⁰ See, the Sovereign LORD comes with power,
   and he rules with a mighty arm.
See, his reward is with him,
   and his recompense accompanies him.
¹¹ He tends his flock like a shepherd:
   He gathers the lambs in his arms
and carries them close to his heart;
   he gently leads those that have young.

Prophet Isaiah saw the vision of God's comfort while God's people would be exiled very soon. Isaiah saw that people were like grass that withers and flowers that fall. But God's faithfulness and His words endure forever. Isaiah exhorts us to shout and lift up our voice on the top of mountain to proclaim the comfort message from God. Our God will prepare a highway, removing the obstacles and leveling the valley and the mountains, for all God's people to come to Him. God becomes the Shepherd for His people, tending the flock, gathering the lambs in His arms, carrying them close to His heart, and gently leading those that are young and weak. Isaiah served the Lord for more than 30 years after his calling from the Lord. Isaiah encourages us to rely on the Lord who also shepherded his whole life. Some recorded that Isaiah was sawed in two (Heb. 11:36-37) but he still spoke God's comfort message after his death. 

Here is our God who gives us hope and comfort in the midst of sadness and desperate conditions. He is our Shepherd; He forgives our sins; He prepares the way to lead us home; He tends us; and He is our God. Dear God, You are my Shepherd, I shall not want as I rely on Your faithfulness to walk faithfully on Your way in the rest of my life. 

Downfall of spiritual leaders.

November 1, 2013 - Isaiah 39

    ¹ At that time Marduk-Baladan son of Baladan king of Babylon sent Hezekiah letters and a gift, because he had heard of his illness and recovery. ² Hezekiah received the envoys gladly and showed them what was in his storehouses—the silver, the gold, the spices, the fine olive oil—his entire armory and everything found among his treasures. There was nothing in his palace or in all his kingdom that Hezekiah did not show them.

   ³ Then Isaiah the prophet went to King Hezekiah and asked, “What did those men say, and where did they come from?”

   “From a distant land,” Hezekiah replied. “They came to me from Babylon.”

   ⁴ The prophet asked, “What did they see in your palace?”

   “They saw everything in my palace,” Hezekiah said. “There is nothing among my treasures that I did not show them.”

   ⁵ Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, “Hear the word of the LORD Almighty: ⁶ The time will surely come when everything in your palace, and all that your predecessors have stored up until this day, will be carried off to Babylon. Nothing will be left, says the LORD. ⁷ And some of your descendants, your own flesh and blood who will be born to you, will be taken away, and they will become eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.”

   ⁸ “The word of the LORD you have spoken is good,” Hezekiah replied. For he thought, “There will be peace and security in my lifetime.”

King Hezekiah experienced the miraculous healing of his life while he faced the imminent death. Nevertheless, this miraculous experience could not stop him from his spiritual downfall. Facing the impending attack from Assyria (701 B.C.), Hezekiah had not consulted God but rather sought for an allegiance with Babylon (712 B.C.). Spiritual leaders fall or slip away from God so easily while facing external pressures that come from works or people. Hezekiah fell and slipped away from reliance of God who delivered him from death but rather chose to rely on Babylon to resist against the invasion from Assyria. Isaiah brought the words of discipline from the Lord to the king but Hezekiah failed again to immediately repent and to pray for his nation. He failed again in his promise to teach his children the faithfulness of the Lord after he was delivered from death by the Lord. 

Dear Master Lord, deliver me as well from any self-reliance or dependence on people rather than on Your mercy and power. Spiritual leaders also failed unexpectedly while facing fear, burdens or stresses. Preserve my purity in trusting You no matter what crises I will face in the future. Not the army or gods of Babylon, military armies of any nation, or my own strength is to be relied on but only You Lord is the mighty One whom I trust each day.