Devotion:
Read Isaiah 35.
As I have shared in previous devotions, the book of Isaiah contains material from different time-frames and most likely from different writers. The first thirty-nine chapters come from the time before the people of Judah were defeated by Babylon and carried off to exile. In these chapters, the prophet is warning the people about what is to come, because they have not followed the commandments and ways of God. In later chapters, there are messages of comfort and assurance that God will one day bring them out of exile. However, this chapter we read today offers a prophetic word of joy and assurance about what is to come after the exile even before the exile has happened! The scenes of nature included here makes me think of when God first began creating our world. These verses give us a picture of God doing a new creation.
In our own lives and world, we can sometimes see darkened, sad times ahead. We know there are going to be struggles because of the way things are going. However, whether those circumstances are on a personal scale or a much larger situation, we can know ahead of time that joy will return to our lives. We can look back and remember times of sadness and also remember that God brought joy back to us. And as long as we continue to trust and live for God, we can be assured that joy will come to us again in the future. As the prophet shared about many years in the future, we can also receive the same message: “Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee away.” Hallelujah!
Personal Worship Option:
Isaac Watts, in his familiar Christmas hymn, captures the sense of all creation celebrating the coming of Christ:
Joy to the world, the Lord is come! Let earth receive her King;
Let every heart prepare him room, and heaven and nature sing…
Joy to the world, the Savior reigns! Let all their songs employ;
while fields and floods, rocks, hills and plains repeat the sounding joy…
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