SCRIPTURE: Because the Sovereign Lord helps me, I will not be disgraced. Therefore have I set my face like flint, and I know I will not be put to shame. Isaiah 50:7 NIV
THOUGHT: More on Isaiah and his commission today – and the importance of that little word because.
In the process of fulfilling his orders, Isaiah is exposed to ridicule, beatings, and many other things, including having his beard pulled out. Ouch! Then, of course, there’s the obvious: people who won’t listen. Perhaps you’ve had some experience with that and know how painful it can be to warn someone about God’s truth over and over and know that they don’t care what you say. Especially when you love them, it hurts! After awhile, you can start to feel invisible, and the temptation to doubt yourself and just shut up is immense.
If that’s you, take heart from Isaiah’s words, the first of which is “because.” Because the Sovereign Lord helps me. It’s a transition to the rest of the phrase, and to his very life. His faith in a God who helps him fulfill his marching orders is so powerful that it carries him through pain and grief and suffering and identity attacks to the forgone conclusion that his reputation is safe. He will not be disgraced, neither will he be put to shame. That knowledge is like freedom to him and he can set his face like flint toward God’s will for his life.
May it be so with you and I!
PRAYER: Oh God, because you are the Sovereign Lord who helps, I pray that each one reading today might have a surety about their commission, giving them the freedom to set their face like flint and leave their reputation up to you.
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Blogger Amy Clemens is the author of Walking When You’d Rather Fly: Meditations on Faith After the Fall. In it she explores childhood sexual abuse and how it impacted her faith (or lack thereof) for four decades. You’ll find not only her story, but better yet, the Big Story of God.
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