Isaiah 45:1-7 (NRSV)
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Chapter 45Thus says the Lord to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have grasped to subdue nations before him and strip kings of their robes, to open doors before him- and the gates shall not be closed: Verse 2I will go before you and level the mountains, I will break in pieces the doors of bronze and cut through the bars of iron, Verse 3I will give you the treasures of darkness and riches hidden in secret places, so that you may know that it is I, the Lord, the God of Israel, who call you by your name. Verse 4For the sake of my servant Jacob, and Israel my chosen, I call you by your name, I surname you, though you do not know me.
Verse 5I am the Lord, and there is no other; besides me there is no god. I arm you, though you do not know me, Verse 6so that they may know, from the rising of the sun and from the west, that there is no one besides me; I am the Lord, and there is no other. Verse 7I form light and create darkness, I make weal and create woe; I the Lord do all these things.
Devotion
As I was walking along the sidewalk one day, I heard someone calling. "Scott, Scott," the voice said. I didn't recognize the voice and so I continued to walk toward my destination. Then I heard the voice again, "Scott, Scott." I turned to see if the voice was truly calling me, and what I saw surprised me. A young man was walking briskly, dodging in and out of the pedestrians on the sidewalk, continuing to call out my name. And in his hand was my wallet! It had fallen out of my pocket, and this person who I didn’t know had picked it up and was trying to find me to return it to me. With thanksgiving in my heart, I turned and received my wallet from the hand of this stranger.
I sometimes think about how God can call our name even when we have not lived a life of faith and devotion. Just like God calling Cyrus, God continues to call those who are outside of "our group" so that we may be opened to hearing our name anew.
Prayer
Gracious God, may we hear your voice calling to us, even when we feel far from you. May we trust that you are the Lord, and there is no other. Amen.