Greetings! I hope your Holy Week was full of light and life and hope! And Happy Resurrection Day to all who believe! Today in my daily Bible reading plan, I actually read the chapter in Isaiah for yesterday. Isaiah 58, one of my favorite chapters of the Bible. There is so much living hope in these words from the Father, from YHWH, given to His people at that time and in that historical context, and written and preserved forever for us and for all His people in ages to come. The Word of God, given for us. It reminds me of the time, many years ago now, my daughter sent a little birthday card to her toddler friend. Her mother told us she was so excited to receive it, that her little friend ate the card! What a hilarious memory (Ada, we love you!) But that’s such a perfect picture of what God wants us to do with His Word! He wants us to be so excited about receiving and hearing from Him in His revealed Word that we will want to be nourished by it, inhale it like oxygen, meditate and reflect on it and let it actually change us. When we ingest food, our bodies are transformed and affected by the very things we eat. Our lives can also be transformed in this way by feeding on His Word. If you are not in a daily rhythm of feeding on God’s Word, let me commend this reading plan to you for your benefit: Seeing Jesus Together You can even start today!
“Is not this the fast that I choose:
to loose the bonds of wickedness,
to undo the straps of the yoke,
to let the oppressed go free,
and to break every yoke?
Is it not to share your bread with the hungry
and bring the homeless poor into your house;
when you see the naked, to cover him,
and not to hide yourself from your own flesh?
Then shall your light break forth like the dawn,
and your healing shall spring up speedily;
your righteousness shall go before you;
the glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard.
Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer;
you shall cry, and he will say, ‘Here I am.’
If you take away the yoke from your midst,
the pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness,
if you pour yourself out for the hungry
and satisfy the desire of the afflicted,
then shall your light rise in the darkness
and your gloom be as the noonday.
And the LORD will guide you continually
and satisfy your desire in scorched places
and make your bones strong;
and you shall be like a watered garden,
like a spring of water,
whose waters do not fail.
And your ancient ruins shall be rebuilt;
you shall raise up the foundations of many generations;
you shall be called the repairer of the breach,
the restorer of streets to dwell in.
“If you turn back your foot from the Sabbath,
from doing your pleasure on my holy day,
and call the Sabbath a delight
and the holy day of the LORD honorable;
if you honor it, not going your own ways,
or seeking your own pleasure, or talking idly;
then you shall take delight in the LORD,
and I will make you ride on the heights of the earth;
I will feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father,
for the mouth of the LORD has spoken.”
Isaiah 58