Isaiah 58:9b-14 (NRSV)
Read Isaiah 58:9b-14 on biblegateway.com
Verse 9Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer; you shall cry for help, and he will say, Here I am. If you remove the yoke from among you, the pointing of the finger, the speaking of evil, Verse 10if you offer your food to the hungry and satisfy the needs of the afflicted, then your light shall rise in the darkness and your gloom be like the noonday. Verse 11The Lord will guide you continually, and satisfy your needs in parched places, and make your bones strong; and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters never fail. Verse 12Your ancient ruins shall be rebuilt; you shall raise up the foundations of many generations; you shall be called the repairer of the breach, the restorer of streets to live in.
Verse 13If you refrain from trampling the sabbath, from pursuing your own interests on my holy day; if you call the sabbath a delight and the holy day of the Lord honorable; if you honor it, not going your own ways, serving your own interests, or pursuing your own affairs; Verse 14then you shall take delight in the Lord, and I will make you ride upon the heights of the earth; I will feed you with the heritage of your ancestor Jacob, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.
Devotion
The sparkling, snow melted water streaming down southern Montana’s Beartooth-Absaroka Wilderness appeared refreshing. But we were warned that it contained a hidden danger – harmful bacteria. Before it became living water for parched Christikon hikers it had to be treated with iodine for twenty minutes. This wisdom and care was life-giving for us "flatlanders."
Isaiah reminds us that our relationship to God is tied to our relationship with others – especially with those who are vulnerable and in danger. The worship God desires is more than songs and prayers in the sanctuary - it is the care we offer one another as a sign of God’s compassionate presence in the world; it is the justice we pursue for all people as a sign of God’s righteousness; it is the living water of Jesus Christ that, having already received, we share with those walking on the heights of the earth and in the valleys below.
Prayer
Holy God, we praise your name and thank you for satisfying all our needs. Each day may we honor and worship you in all we say and do. Amen.