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
Be assured. God's word accomplishes its purpose in you. God's word cannot fail. We need look no further than the ecology of creation to understand this. Rain and snow cannot help but water the earth. But that isn't all; once watered, the earth produces. That still isn't all; it continues its work by providing seeds to the sower and ultimately nourishes the eater with bread. God's word is the gift that keeps on giving. This great gift and its giver are noticed even by the singing mountains and clapping trees. How do you celebrate this gift? Do you notice it? Consider what God's word is accomplishing in your life, in your community, in the world.
Be confident. Be bold. Just as God's word has accomplished its purpose in you, so too will God's word accomplish its purpose through you. Be assured. Be bold. For you shall go out in joy, and be led back in peace.
Prayer
Giving God, send us out into your world in joy. Lead us back to you in peace. Amen.