2026 Pentecost Devotions II
Monday, August 17
Isaiah 51:1-6
1 Listen to me, you who pursue righteousness,
you who seek the Lord.
Look to the rock from which you were hewn
and to the quarry from which you were dug.
2 Look to Abraham your father
and to Sarah, who bore you,
for he was but one when I called him,
but I blessed him and made him many.
3 For the Lord will comfort Zion;
he will comfort all her waste places
and will make her wilderness like Eden,
her desert like the garden of the Lord;
joy and gladness will be found in her,
thanksgiving and the voice of song.
4 Listen to me, my people,
and give heed to me, my nation,
for a teaching will go out from me
and my justice for a light to the peoples.
5 I will bring near my deliverance swiftly;
my salvation has gone out,
and my arms will rule the peoples;
the coastlands wait for me,
and for my arm they hope.
6 Lift up your eyes to the heavens
and look at the earth beneath,
for the heavens will vanish like smoke,
the earth will wear out like a garment,
and those who live on it will die like gnats,
but my salvation will be forever,
and my deliverance will never be ended.
“… 5 I will bring near my deliverance swiftly; my salvation has gone out, and my arms will rule the peoples; the coastlands wait for me, and for my arm they hope. …”
My grandmother lived in cottage near Beaver Lake. During the summer season, our family visited her often. We’d play games in the yard, wander in the woods, and fish. My parents were avid anglers which made us kids fishers too.
One day, while we were all fishing from one of piers jutting out into the lake. I was horsing around and acting the fool when I accidently slipped off the edge and fell into the water. It wasn’t that deep, but I panicked. Struggling with the water and the weeds, I cried for help. Suddenly, I felt my dad’s hand grab me by the back of my shirt and drag me out. I was wet but safe. (I wasn’t allowed back on that pier for some time.)
The prophet offers the people of God deliverance. For a generation, they have been drowning in the mirky and tangled waters of Babylonian exile. They are awash in sorrow, crying out daily for help. Through the prophet, the Lord promises to reach out with a mighty arm and raise the people out of their hopelessness and despair. To save them and give them hope.
That same promise extends to us as well. Too often, we find ourselves off the deep end, struggling with the mirky waters of life, trying to get free. It is then that we cry to the Lord. Thankfully, God hears our plea, reaches out with a mighty arm, grabs us by the collar, and pulls us to safety.
Prayer: Thank you, Lord, for hearing our cries for help and delivering us from the deep and difficult waters which threaten us. Amen.