Friday after Sexagesima Sunday
Posted on February 25, 2022 by under
Scripture: Isaiah 45:11-19 (NKJV)
45:11 Thus says the Lord, The Holy One of Israel, and his Maker:
“Ask Me of things to come concerning My sons; And concerning the work of My hands, you command Me.
12 “I have made the earth, and created man on it. I—My hands—stretched out the heavens, and all their host I have commanded.
13 “I have raised him up in righteousness, and I will direct all his ways; He shall build My city and let My exiles go free, not for price nor reward,” says the Lord of hosts.
14 Thus says the Lord:
“The labor of Egypt and merchandise of Cush and of the Sabeans, men of stature, shall come over to you, and they shall be yours; They shall walk behind you, they shall come over in chains; And they shall bow down to you. They will make supplication to you, saying, ‘Surely God is in you, and there is no other; There is no other God.’”
15 Truly You are God, who hide Yourself, O God of Israel, the Savior!
16 They shall be ashamed and also disgraced, all of them; They shall go in confusion together, Who are makers of idols.
17 But Israel shall be saved by the Lord with an everlasting salvation; You shall not be ashamed or disgraced forever and ever.
18 For thus says the Lord, Who created the heavens, Who is God, Who formed the earth and made it, Who has established it, Who did not create it in vain, Who formed it to be inhabited: “I am the Lord, and there is no other.
19 I have not spoken in secret, in a dark place of the earth; I did not say to the seed of Jacob, ‘Seek Me in vain’; I, the Lord, speak righteousness, I declare things that are right.
Devotion
All of God’s works are done in earnest. From our creation to our preservation, from our redemption to our final salvation, the Lord is determined to accomplish His holy will. He has not done any of these things in vain, but is determined to be recognized as our Creator and Savior. His primary will is that people see these things and believe in Him as the one true and only God of Heaven and Earth. This is why it is so offensive to Him when people worship false idols–they give praise, thanks, and glory to the creature rather than the creator, and reject the Lord’s free salvation.
Those who trust in false gods shall be ashamed, but those who trust in the Lord shall be saved. Because God has done so much for us in true earnestness, sincerely desiring our eternal welfare, He expects that we earnestly seek after Him. We who have been brought out of spiritual darkness and ignorance into the light of God’s Word should be determined to continue in that light and truth.
Prayer: O Lord God, Who seest that we put not our trust in anything that we do: Mercifully grant that by Thy power we may be defended against all adversity; 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.
