The Wednesday after the Twelfth Sunday after Trinity Sunday
Posted on August 26, 2026 by under
Scripture: Isaiah 29:18-24 (NKJV)
38:18 In that day the deaf shall hear the words of the book, and the eyes of the blind shall see out of obscurity and out of darkness.
19 The humble also shall increase their joy in the Lord, and the poor among men shall rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.
20 For the terrible one is brought to nothing, the scornful one is consumed, and all who watch for iniquity are cut off—
21 who make a man an offender by a word, and lay a snare for him who reproves in the gate, and turn aside the just by empty words.
22 Therefore thus says the Lord, who redeemed Abraham, concerning the house of Jacob:
“Jacob shall not now be ashamed, nor shall his face now grow pale;
23 “But when he sees his children, the work of My hands, in his midst, they will hallow My name, and hallow the Holy One of Jacob, and fear the God of Israel.
24 “These also who erred in spirit will come to understanding, and those who complained will learn doctrine.”
Devotion
For some, it is a trendy thing to speak of an “Old Testament God” who is all wrath and judgment, and oppose that idea to a “New Testament God” who is exclusively loving and gracious. But this view of God is incorrect. God promises and demonstrates His grace and mercy extensively in the Old Testament; and He also expresses His wrath in the New Testament, such as when Jesus predicts the destruction of Jerusalem.
In these verses from the Prophet Isaiah, God promises restoration to His people—not because they deserve it, but because God is merciful and gracious. Israel, as a nation, had sinned, but God still loved His people. Through His Word, God clearly recognizes and condemns the sin of Israel. So it is for us—we too have sinned, but through the life and death of His Son, Jesus Christ, God satisfied His justice. He creates faith in His people so that we can receive His forgiveness. He forgave the sins of His people Israel, not because they deserved mercy, but because He Himself is merciful. He forgives our sins for His own sake, in the same way and for the same reason. Not even the normal limitations of being deaf or being blind will be enough to prevent God from causing people to hear, and to see, and to experience His mercy upon them.
Collect: Almighty and Merciful God, of Whose only gift it cometh that Thy faithful people do unto Thee true and laudable service: Grant, we beseech Thee, that we may so faithfully serve Thee in this life, that we fail not finally to attain Thy heavenly promises; through Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, ever One God, world without end. Amen.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
