March 22 | Isaiah 45:14-19
DAILY READING
Isaiah 45:14-19
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REFLECTION
Unhidden and Unmatched
by Dan Kidd
Isaiah's prophetic poem takes aim at the heart of the hope-lost Israelites. These lyrics protests against the fears that must have gripped the exiled Israelites--fear that their home, their temple, their nation was lost and abandoned. But God was not done with his people nor his plans to rescue and heal the world. Isaiah proclaims what God is up to; that through the Persian king, Cyrus, God would begin the project of rebuilding Jerusalem, and in doing so, God would become famous and revered throughout the world.
Within today's passage we read of the most powerful nations in the world witnessing to the King of Kings, the One True God. Their idols will be exposed as shams and, together, they will set off in disgrace. They will say of Yahweh, Israel's savior, that he has been hiding from them. But they will be wrong. Yahweh hasn't hidden himself. He has been with the world, in the world, since the days he created it. Yahweh had been speaking purpose, truth, and righteousness to and through his people since the beginning. And even though they hadn't acknowledge him, God would be with them still and would see his plan to completion.
What a beautiful word of hope and comfort! That even when our circumstances seem insurmountable, when we feel abandoned and hope-lost, when the Lord seems hidden or thwarted, we can confess the truth instead. The very same God that was with his people in their defeat and exile is with us now. He has been, and continues to be, faithful and true. Centuries later Paul would write that through Christ who loves us, we are more than conquerors. He can write this because he knows the faithfulness and triumph of the the God to whom every knee shall bow. This is our God. Worthy of our praise. And worthy of our trust.
PRAYER PRACTICE
Praying the Scriptures: Take time today to pray Isaiah's proclamation in vv. 18-19 as a personal confession to God. "You are the Lord and there is no other. You have not spoken in secret, from somewhere in a land of darkness; you have not said 'Seek me in vain.' You, Lord, speak the truth and declare what is right." As you pray these words, pause to reflect on how they are uniquely true for you today.
