2026 Epiphany Devotions
Thursday, January 8
Isaiah 42:5-9
5 Thus says God, the Lord,
who created the heavens and stretched them out,
who spread out the earth and what comes from it,
who gives breath to the people upon it
and spirit to those who walk in it:
6 I am the Lord; I have called you in righteousness;
I have taken you by the hand and kept you;
I have given you as a covenant to the people,
a light to the nations,
7 to open the eyes that are blind,
to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon,
from the prison those who sit in darkness.
8 I am the Lord; that is my name;
my glory I give to no other,
nor my praise to idols.
9 See, the former things have come to pass,
and new things I now declare;
before they spring forth,
I tell you of them.
“… I have given you as a covenant to the people, a light to the nations, …”
Opening the eyes of the blind is only one way in which the Lord brings light into the world. Bringing prisoners out of the darkness into the brightness of the day is also how the Lord sheds light. This second “light-giving” is perhaps the best illustration of God’s glory and might.
We typically think of those in prison as harden criminals who need to be separated for the sake of the public good. Increasingly, however, in the last several decades, the jails have been filled with those who have committed minor offenses. Partly due to mandatory sentencing guidelines, those behind bars – sometimes for years – are no longer a threat to society but as simply languishing in overcrowded prisons. Statically, the majority of those behind bars are non-whites.
Additionally, with the current emphasis on arresting and detaining those suspected of being in the country illegally, detainment facilities are choked with men, women, and children whose only crime is seeking a better life. Some of the detainees have been contributing members of society for decades. Rather than a threat, many are model citizens.
All this brings me back to the Lord of light. Not only is the Lord’s mission to open eyes of the blind but also to set the captive free. As Jesus sought to bring light into the lives of all people, perhaps we should consider those who imprisoned and seek to bring light to their lives.
Prayer: Merciful Lord, you have come to bring light to those who sit in the darkness of prisons. Inspire me to work to see that those who are imprisoned are given the opportunity to see the light You bring. Amen.