ESOCS Devotional 22 December 2024 – Message of Hope
MEMORY VERSE: “Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not: behold, your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompence; he will come and save you.” Isaiah 35: 4 KJV
TEXT: ISAIAH 35:1–10
The wilderness and the wasteland shall be glad for them,
And the desert shall rejoice and blossom as the rose;
2 It shall blossom abundantly and rejoice,
Even with joy and singing.
The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it,
The excellence of Carmel and Sharon.
They shall see the glory of the Lord,
The excellency of our God.
3 Strengthen the weak hands,
And make firm the feeble knees.
4 Say to those who are fearful-hearted,
“Be strong, do not fear!
Behold, your God will come with vengeance,
With the recompense of God;
He will come and save you.”
5 Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened,
And the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped.
6 Then the lame shall leap like a deer,
And the tongue of the dumb sing.
For waters shall burst forth in the wilderness,
And streams in the desert.
7 The parched ground shall become a pool,
And the thirsty land springs of water;
In the habitation of jackals, where each lay,
There shall be grass with reeds and rushes.
8 A highway shall be there, and a road,
And it shall be called the Highway of Holiness.
The unclean shall not pass over it,
But it shall be for others.
Whoever walks the road, although a fool,
Shall not go astray.
9 No lion shall be there,
Nor shall any ravenous beast go up on it;
It shall not be found there.
But the redeemed shall walk there,
10 And the ransomed of the Lord shall return,
And come to Zion with singing,
With everlasting joy on their heads.
They shall obtain joy and gladness,
And sorrow and sighing shall flee away.
Read Other ESOCS Devotional Here
In this chapter, we read that that which was a desert wilderness will become a flourishing landscape blossoming with an abundance of flowers. Where it had once been a dried-up land, there shall be springs of waters. Where there was desert wasteland and sadness, we shall find abundant life, joy and rejoicing!
Isaiah goes from the promise of the flourishing of the dry land ground, to offering encouragement and promises of salvation to the faint-hearted. We picture the lame and the mute and the blind; then in contrast, we are to picture the lame man leaping like a deer, the mute rejoicing, and the blind seeing (vv. 5-7).
God is showing that where there was death and decay, now there shall be life and abundance. Prophet Isaiah gives the people who were far off in exile a promise of restoration and renewal. If you look down to verse 10, the redeemed and ransomed would return to Zion with songs of thanksgiving and joy. Why? Because even though Judah had fallen short and broken the covenant, God would remain faithful to His covenant promises.
Put yourself in their shoes for a minute – what it must have felt like to hear this message of hope. They had been living in deep suffering and sadness in exile. They were broken, anxious, weak, and far from God. They likely felt like they were on death’s door, like they could taste it. They were sure God’s judgment was upon them, but rather than hear what they expected, instead God was giving them a message of hope.
We live in a fallen world, and we suffer as a result of sin. If there had been no sin, we would not suffer; but as it is, the fallen world continues to bring us suffering today. Your life might be more suffering and pain than it is joy and comfort. God is telling His people that there is hope beyond our circumstances and hardships. God will not and has not abandoned us. So, we see in verses 3-4 that He calls them to strengthen their weak hands and to make firm their feeble knees. To call the anxious at heart to be strong and fear not because as verse 4 says, “Your God will come.” He will come to avenge you, and He will come with the recompense He promised, and He will come to you and save you.
So also, our Savior will come, and He will part the clouds and we will see that what was nothing has become a flourishing and glorious place; the glory of Lebanon, the majesty of Carmel and Sharon. Then we will be able to see the glory of the Lord and the majesty of our God. And just as He promised, Jesus has come to us, and He will come again.
- Do you believe that God can change your situation?
- Father, I believe that my help comes from you and I will continue to hope in your restoration, in Jesus name.
Further Reading: Isaiah 40:1-11; Luke 1:26–45; Revelation 22: 6– end;
ESOCS Devotional 22 December 2024
