fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. —Isaiah 41:10, part of our Bible reading plan today. Here is some encouragement from John Piper, in … More The crucial factor in fearless living
September 15 Isaiah 40-41 (ESV) Comfort for God’s People 40:1 Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. 2 Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her that her warfare [1] is ended, that her iniquity is pardoned, that she has received from the Lord’s hand double for all her sins. 3 A voice cries: [2] “In the wilderness prepare the … More September 15 Isaiah 40-41
John Piper, in a sermon, “Prayer and the Victory of God” helps us understand Isaiah 37, part of our Bible reading plan today. Now to fix this truth vividly in your minds—that the victory of God is coming and that it is coming by means of our prayers—look with me at Isaiah 37 and one … More The Stunning Effect of Prayer Illustrated
September 14 Isaiah 37-39 (ESV) Hezekiah Seeks Isaiah’s Help 37:1 As soon as King Hezekiah heard it, he tore his clothes and covered himself with sackcloth and went into the house of the Lord. 2 And he sent Eliakim, who was over the household, and Shebna the secretary, and the senior priests, covered with sackcloth, to the … More September 14 Isaiah 37-39
Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped; then shall the lame man leap like a deer, and the tongue of the mute sing for joy.—Isaiah 35: 5-6 (Read Isaiah 34-36 today in our reading plan.) Jesus Christ is the Great Healer. As we have been reading … More Life-giving sight
September 13 Isaiah 34-36 (ESV) Judgment on the Nations 34:1 Draw near, O nations, to hear, and give attention, O peoples! Let the earth hear, and all that fills it; the world, and all that comes from it. 2 For the Lord is enraged against all the nations, and furious against all their host; he has devoted … More September 13 Isaiah 34-36
O Lord, be gracious to us; we wait for you. Be our arm every morning, our salvation in the time of trouble. At the tumultuous noise peoples flee; when you lift yourself up, nations are scattered, and your spoil is gathered as the caterpillar gathers; as locusts leap, it is leapt upon. The Lord is … More Ultimate stability in unstable times
September 12 Isaiah 31-33 (ESV) Woe to Those Who Go Down to Egypt 31:1 Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help and rely on horses, who trust in chariots because they are many and in horsemen because they are very strong, but do not look to the Holy One of Israel or consult … More September 12 Isaiah 31-33
Therefore the Lord waits to be gracious to you, and therefore he exalts himself to show mercy to you. For the Lord is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for him.—Isaiah 30:18 (Reading plan is Isaiah 29-30) John Piper’s introduction and conclusion of a sermon, “Battling the Unbelief of Impatience,” Impatience … More Piper: Impatience is a form of unbelief.
September 11 Isaiah 29-30 (ESV) The Siege of Jerusalem 29:1 Ah, Ariel, Ariel, the city where David encamped! Add year to year; let the feasts run their round. 2 Yet I will distress Ariel, and there shall be moaning and lamentation, and she shall be to me like an Ariel. [1] 3 And I will encamp against you all … More September 11 Isaiah 29-30
