Isaiah 63:7-9 (NRSV)
Read Isaiah 63:7-9 on biblegateway.com
Verse 7I will recount the gracious deeds of the Lord, the praiseworthy acts of the Lord, because of all that the Lord has done for us, and the great favor to the house of Israel that he has shown them according to his mercy, according to the abundance of his steadfast love. Verse 8For he said, "Surely they are my people, children who will not deal falsely"; and he became their savior Verse 9in all their distress. It was no messenger or angel but his presence that saved them; in his love and in his pity he redeemed them; he lifted them up and carried them all the days of old.
Devotion
A panicked teenager burst into my office, “Pastor Tom, I need to talk to you! My Mom and Dad are going to Hell because they don’t believe the right things.” Lisa had grown up in the church and was a thoughtful young person. A high school Christian group had filled her with some dreadful ideas. For many, it is easier to believe in a condemning God than a gracious Lord. Lisa’s Mom and Dad were people of faith, but, evidently, they had failed some theological test.
Too many folks carry around an image of a vengeful God eager to cast them into the abyss, where there will be “weeping and gnashing of teeth” rather than a loving God reaching to gather them up into the comforting arms of grace. One of the church’s essential tasks is to paint a picture in people’s hearts of the “gracious deeds of our Lord.”
Prayer
Lord, gather us into your arms of grace. Amen.