ESOCS Devotional 5 January 2025 – A Great Time to Be Alive
MEMORY VERSE: “Because I love Zion, I will not keep still. Because my heart yearns for Jerusalem, I cannot remain silent. I will not stop praying for her until her righteousness shines like the dawn, and her salvation blazes like a burning torch!” Isaiah 62:1 NLT
TEXT: ISAIAH 62:1-END
For Zion’s sake I will not hold My peace,
And for Jerusalem’s sake I will not rest,
Until her righteousness goes forth as brightness,
And her salvation as a lamp that burns.
2 The Gentiles shall see your righteousness,
And all kings your glory.
You shall be called by a new name,
Which the mouth of the Lord will name.
3 You shall also be a crown of glory
In the hand of the Lord,
And a royal diadem
In the hand of your God.
4 You shall no longer be termed Forsaken,
Nor shall your land any more be termed Desolate;
But you shall be called Hephzibah, and your land Beulah;
For the Lord delights in you,
And your land shall be married.
5 For as a young man marries a virgin,
So shall your sons marry you;
And as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride,
So shall your God rejoice over you.
6 I have set watchmen on your walls, O Jerusalem;
They shall never hold their peace day or night.
You who make mention of the Lord, do not keep silent,
7 And give Him no rest till He establishes
And till He makes Jerusalem a praise in the earth.
8 The Lord has sworn by His right hand
And by the arm of His strength:
“Surely I will no longer give your grain
As food for your enemies;
And the sons of the foreigner shall not drink your new wine,
For which you have labored.
9 But those who have gathered it shall eat it,
And praise the Lord;
Those who have brought it together shall drink it in My holy courts.”
10 Go through,
Go through the gates!
Prepare the way for the people;
Build up,
Build up the highway!
Take out the stones,
Lift up a banner for the peoples!
11 Indeed the Lord has proclaimed
To the end of the world:
“Say to the daughter of Zion,
‘Surely your salvation is coming;
Behold, His reward is with Him,
And His work before Him.’ ”
12 And they shall call them The Holy People,
The Redeemed of the Lord;
And you shall be called Sought Out,
A City Not Forsaken.
Read Other ESOCS Devotional Here
Never again… which means there was a time. As Isaiah goes on, these words just stuck in my mind, The LORD will hold you in His hand for all to see a splendid crown in the hand of God. Never again will you be called “A Forsaken City” or “A Desolate Land” (vv. 3-4). We have to read this, knowing the past, but realizing the truth of the present. We have been saved; God has got us in His grasp. But there is a “before,” a state we were in, where God says, “Never again!” “Once, we too were foolish and disobedient. We were misled and became slaves to many lusts and pleasures. Our lives were full of evil and envy, and we hated each other. But …” (Titus 3:3-4 NLT).
We know this “But” is coming; but part of understanding who God is, is realizing in the midst of our sins that will leave us feeling abandoned and desolate, there is God, saying – Because I love you, I will not keep still, because my heart yearns for you – I cannot be silent. I will not! I cannot!
In the middle of it all, God is there; He’s always promised to be there! Right in the middle of our worst battles with sin, He was there, relentlessly working to get to the point He decried with these words “…I will not stop interceding for her until her righteousness shines like the dawn, and her salvation blazes like a burning torch. The nations will see your righteousness.” That is where God the Father’s heart is … what His desire is. That is why He sent Jesus, while we were sinning, to rescue us, and still does. That is our hope for those caught in our sin … that is our hope when we struggle with temptation …. That is our hope until we hear God’s voice … calling us…
Delighted & Committed – And see what He calls us: Your new name will be “The City of God’s Delight” and “The Bride of God,” for the LORD delights in you and will claim you as His bride. The first – the “City of God’s delight,” Hephzibah – is simply the “one I find joy with….” That is you, the one who God enjoys being in the presence of…. Imagine that…God’s greatest joy is found when we realize we dwell in His presence. The second… Ba’aulu – is just as profound. It means, “You are the one I am committed to forever.” Bride doesn’t quite say that… this idea of God committing Himself to you, forever. I gave you the part of Paul’s words to Titus… let me give you what comes after the “But” – (Read Titus 3:4-8 NLT). So, let’s help the whole world know this … God finds great joy in being with us and commits Himself to us; He will not, He cannot stop until He makes this true for all His children. So, let’s help the whole world know… AMEN!
CHALLENGES
- To what extent do you understand God’s love for you?
PRAYER POINT
- Father, keep my heart to say, Now is time, today is the day of salvation.
FURTHER READING: Isaiah 3:1-end; 1 John 1:1-2:1-6; 4:1-end
ESOCS Devotional 5 January 2025
