Isaiah 45:1-7 (NRSV)
Read Isaiah 45:1-7 on biblegateway.com
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
God can work in surprising ways. Sometimes, those we least expect are tapped to accomplish God’s purposes. Take Cyrus, for example. The prophet Isaiah refers to him as the Lord’s “anointed,” a term usually reserved for Israel’s kings or high priests. But Cyrus isn’t even an Israelite. He’s a foreign king who doesn’t know or believe in God! And yet, God chooses him to bring about the liberation of the Israelites held captive in Babylon. Unbeknownst to Cyrus, he will not be alone in this effort. God will go before him, paving the way so that God’s mission will be accomplished and so that everyone—including Cyrus!—will know it is the Lord alone who can do such great and wondrous things.
We may not always know how God is working through us, but we can rest assured that God will equip us and go before us in whatever we are called to do.
Prayer
God of surprises, you are always at work in ways we may not see or understand to bring freedom and justice to your people. May the whole world come to know that you are the Lord, for there is no other. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
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