Isaiah 42:1-9 (NRSV)
Read Isaiah 42:1-9 on biblegateway.com
Chapter 42Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations. Verse 2He will not cry or lift up his voice, or make it heard in the street; Verse 3a bruised reed he will not break, and a dimly burning wick he will not quench; he will faithfully bring forth justice. Verse 4He will not grow faint or be crushed until he has established justice in the earth; and the coastlands wait for his teaching.
Verse 5Thus says God, the Lord, who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread out the earth and what comes from it, who gives breath to the people upon it and spirit to those who walk in it: Verse 6I am the Lord, I have called you in righteousness, I have taken you by the hand and kept you; I have given you as a covenant to the people, a light to the nations, Verse 7to open the eyes that are blind, to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, from the prison those who sit in darkness. Verse 8I am the Lord, that is my name; my glory I give to no other, nor my praise to idols. Verse 9See, the former things have come to pass, and new things I now declare; before they spring forth, I tell you of them.
Devotion
The music—and the one who sings—work together to bring a new word to God’s people. Imagine this melody’s might to unleash all the way through history into our present realities. Feel the intensity of these lyrics through the floorboards of our lives. God’s identity and presence pulse through them. God’s promise to all who fret is unceasing: they are not alone: “I have called you…I have taken you by the hand and kept you; I have given you as a covenant to the people, a light to the nations, to open the eyes that are blind, to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, from the prison those who sit in darkness. I am the Lord” (vv. 6-8a) As worry and grief surfaces and then subsides, from every angle, God’s people are surprisingly supported no matter what comes. The grace of God will set them—and us—free.
Prayer
O God, sustain us amid the things we do not understand. When we feel swept away in currents of worry, ease our hearts and minds, for you are with us. Amen.
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