Isaiah 55:10-13 (NRSV)
Read Isaiah 55:10-13 on biblegateway.com
Verse 10For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return there until they have watered the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, Verse 11so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and succeed in the thing for which I sent it. Verse 12For you shall go out in joy, and be led back in peace; the mountains and the hills before you shall burst into song, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. Verse 13Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress; instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle; and it shall be to the Lord for a memorial, for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.
Devotion
The prophet states complete confidence in the power of God’s word to accomplish its purposes in the world. It will not return empty. And, faithful proclamation brings the power of the word to bear in the world.
What is God’s word saying to us today? Letting it speak to us is crucial. We live in a dangerous time when voices equate blind patriotism with that word. As Christians, guided by God’s Word, it is not enough today to cheer and wave the flag and arrogantly claim we are on the side of good. It is a time to hear and proclaim the word of God as we ponder what it means to be an American.
“I am an American patriot who loves his country enough to address her flaws,” writes William Sloan Coffin in his book Credo. He says preachers need to boldly insist “that ‘God n’ country’ is not one word.”
Prayer
Dear Lord, Thank you for your word that speaks with power. May we hear your authentic word in our time today. Amen.