Liz’s Morning Devotional: Scripture selected from Upper Room
August 26, 2023
Isaiah 40:25-31
25 So to whom will you compare me, and who is my equal? says the holy one. 26 Look up at the sky and consider: Who created these? The one who brings out their attendants one by one, summoning each of them by name. Because of God’s great strength and mighty power, not one is missing. 27 Why do you say, Jacob, and declare, Israel, “My way is hidden from the LORD; my God ignores my predicament”? 28 Don’t you know? Haven’t you heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the creator of the ends of the earth. He doesn’t grow tired or weary. His understanding is beyond human reach, 29 giving power to the tired and reviving the exhausted. 30 Youths will become tired and weary; young men will certainly stumble; 31 but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength; they will fly up on wings like eagles; they will run and not be tired; they will walk and not be weary.
Good Morning. Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God!
“And He will raise you up on eagles' wings, Bear you on the breath of dawn
Make you to shine like the sun, And hold you in the palm of His hand.”
When I read, visual images are helpful to carry me to a place of deeper understanding. The image of an eagle is a special symbol that embodies the strength and power of God. When I see an eagle soaring through the sky, I see God’s majesty in motion.
I appreciate different images and objects that enlighten various aspects of God. The bright, shining sun reminds me that we are walking in the light with God. In the smallest, most delicate flower petal, I am reminded of God’s gentleness and attention to each detail. In the breeze that moves the leaves, I feel God’s presence through the Holy Spirit moving within and around us. Of course, there is the rainbow that represents God’s covenant with us.
With the cross, I am reminded of God’s love and how he sent his only son to die on the cross so that we might be released from our sins and given eternal life. The cross also is a symbol of God’s power over death.
Many question whether God is still with us when things are such a mess. I believe in our everlasting, triune God. When I feel weak and weary, I look to my visual reminders to renew my hope in God.
Surely, it is God who saves me; I will trust in him and not be afraid.
For the Lord is my stronghold and my sure defense, and he will be my Savior.
(from the 1st Song of Isaiah)
31 but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength; they will fly up on wings like eagles; they will run and not be tired; they will walk and not be weary.
Loving God, We thank you! O Lord, you are God! We can’t exist without you! We see you shining in the sun in our times of despair. We love you! Thank you! In the name of Christ, we pray. Amen
Thought for the day: What images remind me that I am a child of God?
Soar with the eagles! Pastor Liz
Comments