Category: “Listening to God” Devotional

Read chapter in full: biblegateway.com/passage/?version=ESV&search=Isaiah+036

 
Chapter 36 (ESV)

¹³ Then the Rabshakeh stood and called out in a loud voice in the language of Judah: “Hear the words of the great king, the king of Assyria! ¹⁴ Thus says the king: ‘Do not let Hezekiah deceive you, for he will not be able to deliver you. ¹⁵ Do not let Hezekiah make you trust in the Lord by saying, “The Lord will surely deliver us. This city will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.” ¹⁶ Do not listen to Hezekiah. For thus says the king of Assyria: Make your peace with me and come out to me. Then each one of you will eat of his own vine, and each one of his own fig tree, and each one of you will drink the water of his own cistern, ¹⁷ until I come and take you away to a land like your own land, a land of grain and wine, a land of bread and vineyards. ¹⁸ Beware lest Hezekiah mislead you by saying, “The Lord will deliver us.” Has any of the gods of the nations delivered his land out of the hand of the king of Assyria? ¹⁹ Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim? Have they delivered Samaria out of my hand? ²⁰ Who among all the gods of these lands have delivered their lands out of my hand, that the Lord should deliver Jerusalem out of my hand?’”

²¹ But they were silent and answered him not a word, for the king’s command was, “Do not answer him.” ²² Then Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, who was over the household, and Shebna the secretary, and Joah the son of Asaph, the recorder, came to Hezekiah with their clothes torn, and told him the words of the Rabshakeh.

 

REFLECTION:

1. Sennacherib’s field commander called for Jerusalem’s surrender. He repeatedly challenged Hezekiah: did they depend on Egypt? or on God?  None of the gods of other peoples were able to protect their lands against Assyria’s military might.
2. The Assyrian commander scoffs Judah’s God. God may exist somewhere, he may be important to us.  But he is irrelevant now, for he is powerless to act.  He continued to taunt them, “On what are you basing this confidence of yours?”  As events unfolded, it became clear that Isaiah’s and King Hezekiah’s confidence was rightly placed – in God.  There are no circumstances we can imagine which can limit God’s power to save.
3. Have you been taunted by others because of your faith? Or have you ever felt that God was not relevant in your situation?  Recall the circumstances, your response and feelings.  Continue to converse with God.  Ask for strengthened faith and whatever the situation there is “no turning back”.

 

PRAYER:

Stay with God for a little longer.  Continue to converse with God and listen to what He wants to tell you.  Then write down any thought and/or prayer in your spiritual journal.

 

HYMN:

Sovereign – youtu.be/JMTG13qVY3g

 

Read chapter in full: biblegateway.com/passage/?version=ESV&search=Isaiah+035

 
Chapter 35 (ESV)

⁴ Say to those who have an anxious heart,
“Be strong; fear not!
Behold, your God
will come with vengeance,
with the recompense of God.
He will come and save you.”

⁵ Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened,
and the ears of the deaf unstopped;
⁶ then shall the lame man leap like a deer,
and the tongue of the mute sing for joy.
For waters break forth in the wilderness,
and streams in the desert;
⁷ the burning sand shall become a pool,
and the thirsty ground springs of water;
in the haunt of jackals, where they lie down,
the grass shall become reeds and rushes.

⁸ And a highway shall be there,
and it shall be called the Way of Holiness;
the unclean shall not pass over it.
It shall belong to those who walk on the way;
even if they are fools, they shall not go astray.
⁹ No lion shall be there,
nor shall any ravenous beast come up on it;
they shall not be found there,
but the redeemed shall walk there.

 

REFLECTION:

1. Read the passage silently, watching for its emphasis on restoration and healing.
2. What pictures of healing speak to you?
• God putting things right
• blind eyes opening
• deaf ears hearing
• disabled people leaping
• voiceless people singing
• water flowing in the desert
• hot sands suddenly becoming cool

What do you like best about the “Way of Holiness” (v.8)?

• no rude or rebellious drivers
• can’t get lost on it
• no dangerous animals to stop you in your tracks
3. Tell God about the images you most resonate with. Tell Him why.  Ask God for the restoration or healing that you or others need.

 

PRAYER:

Stay with God for a little longer.  Continue to converse with God and listen to what He wants to tell you.  Then write down any thought and/or prayer in your spiritual journal.

 

HYMN:

The Lord Is My Salvation – youtu.be/NjOGX5zT8KU

 

Read chapter in full: biblegateway.com/passage/?version=ESV&search=Isaiah+034

 
Chapter 34 (ESV)

¹ Draw near, O nations, to hear,
and give attention, O peoples!
Let the earth hear, and all that fills it;
the world, and all that comes from it.
² For the Lord is enraged against all the nations,
and furious against all their host;
he has devoted them to destruction, has given them over for slaughter.
³ Their slain shall be cast out,
and the stench of their corpses shall rise;
the mountains shall flow with their blood.
⁴ All the host of heaven shall rot away,
and the skies roll up like a scroll.
All their host shall fall,
as leaves fall from the vine,
like leaves falling from the fig tree.

⁵ For my sword has drunk its fill in the heavens;
behold, it descends for judgment upon Edom,
upon the people I have devoted to destruction.
⁶ The Lord has a sword; it is sated with blood;
it is gorged with fat,
with the blood of lambs and goats,
with the fat of the kidneys of rams.
For the Lord has a sacrifice in Bozrah,
a great slaughter in the land of Edom.
⁷ Wild oxen shall fall with them,
and young steers with the mighty bulls.
Their land shall drink its fill of blood,
and their soil shall be gorged with fat.

 

REFLECTION:

1. This whole chapter is almost too tough to hear. It describes God’s undoing of those parts of creation that refuse to accept the sovereignty of God.  The nations that God would judge refused to respond to the Lord.  Therefore, their lands would be returned to the birds and the beasts.  What God has ordained is certain to pass.
2. How do you feel about God after reading this passage? How might you feel if you read it from the viewpoint of an oppressed person reflecting on the fact that justice would one day overtake your oppressor?

 

PRAYER:

Stay with God for a little longer.  Continue to converse with God and listen to what He wants to tell you.  Then write down any thought and/or prayer in your spiritual journal.

 

HYMN:

Righteous In All Your Ways – youtu.be/hp6bRlo5GXo

 

Read chapter in full: biblegateway.com/passage/?version=ESV&search=Isaiah+033

 
Chapter 33 (ESV)

¹ Ah, you destroyer,
who yourself have not been destroyed,
you traitor,
whom none has betrayed!
When you have ceased to destroy,
you will be destroyed;
and when you have finished betraying,
they will betray you.

² O Lord, be gracious to us; we wait for you.
Be our arm every morning,
our salvation in the time of trouble.
³ At the tumultuous noise peoples flee;
when you lift yourself up, nations are scattered,
⁴ and your spoil is gathered as the caterpillar gathers;
as locusts leap, it is leapt upon.

⁵ The Lord is exalted, for he dwells on high;
he will fill Zion with justice and righteousness,
⁶ and he will be the stability of your times,
abundance of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge;
the fear of the Lord is Zion’s treasure.

 

REFLECTION:

1. God is a sure foundation for every time, “a rich store of salvation and wisdom and knowledge” (v.6 NIV). But we must use a key to open that storehouse, to enjoy its bounty.  Verse 6 says, “The fear of the Lord is the key to this treasure”.
2. The “fear” of God is a reverential awe that keeps us aware of Him at all times. Our awareness that God is powerful, and that He is sovereign, gives us confidence even in the most uncertain of times.
3. Do you “fear” God? How has your attitude of God impacted your life lately?

 

PRAYER:

Stay with God for a little longer.  Continue to converse with God and listen to what He wants to tell you.  Then write down any thought and/or prayer in your spiritual journal.

 

HYMN:

Behold Our God – www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gqrli3Lkf58

 

Read chapter in full: biblegateway.com/passage/?version=ESV&search=Isaiah+032

 
Chapter 32 (ESV)

¹⁵ until the Spirit is poured upon us from on high,
and the wilderness becomes a fruitful field,
and the fruitful field is deemed a forest.
¹⁶ Then justice will dwell in the wilderness,
and righteousness abide in the fruitful field.
¹⁷ And the effect of righteousness will be peace,
and the result of righteousness, quietness and trust forever.
¹⁸ My people will abide in a peaceful habitation,
in secure dwellings, and in quiet resting places.
¹⁹ And it will hail when the forest falls down,
and the city will be utterly laid low.
²⁰ Happy are you who sow beside all waters,
who let the feet of the ox and the donkey range free.

 

REFLECTION:

1. God has promised again after so much judgment and punishment, that the ultimate outcome for God’s people will be justice and righteousness and peace. The people of God are urged to have confidence to wait for the good gifts that God will yet give in the future.
2. What does it mean for righteousness to result in quietness? Close your eyes.  Picture the complete quietness of your soul.  Feel the peace settling over you, a glimpse of the kingdom to come.  How can you better cultivate quietness?

 

PRAYER:

Stay with God for a little longer.  Continue to converse with God and listen to what He wants to tell you.  Then write down any thought and/or prayer in your spiritual journal.

 

HYMN:

Be Still My Soul (In You I Rest) – youtu.be/mq59iE3MhXM

 

Read chapter in full: biblegateway.com/passage/?version=ESV&search=Isaiah+031

 
Chapter 31 (ESV)

¹ Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help
and rely on horses,
who trust in chariots because they are many
and in horsemen because they are very strong,
but do not look to the Holy One of Israel
or consult the Lord!
² And yet he is wise and brings disaster;
he does not call back his words,
but will arise against the house of the evildoers
and against the helpers of those who work iniquity.
³ The Egyptians are man, and not God,
and their horses are flesh, and not spirit.
When the Lord stretches out his hand,
the helper will stumble, and he who is helped will fall,
and they will all perish together.

 

REFLECTION:

1. Read the passages four or five times. Don’t rush through it.  Get familiar with it.
2. We don’t count on horses and chariots to protect us today like in ancient times. But there are countless things we put our trust in.
3. Consider the circumstances in your life when you have depended on something or someone other than God. If God and God alone provides ultimate security and comfort, why do you think we turn to Him for help only as a last resort?  If we truly understood God’s power and control – His sovereignty – how might that change how we live?
4. Spend a few minutes in quiet and solitude. Use the time to seek out the dark corners of your life.  Whisper, “What do I put my trust in”?  Allow the Spirit to do his work.  Don’t rush the process, but simply wait for Him to reveal the horses and chariots you depend on.  When you see them clearly, confess them to God immediately.  Be assured that He hears your prayers and forgives you graciously.

 

PRAYER:

Stay with God for a little longer.  Continue to converse with God and listen to what He wants to tell you.  Then write down any thought and/or prayer in your spiritual journal.

 

HYMN:

In God We Trust – youtu.be/tY9Tylmulrc

 

Read chapter in full: biblegateway.com/passage/?version=ESV&search=Isaiah+030

 
Chapter 30 (ESV)

¹⁵ For thus said the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel,
“In returning and rest you shall be saved;
in quietness and in trust shall be your strength.”
But you were unwilling, ¹⁶ and you said,
“No! We will flee upon horses”;
therefore you shall flee away;
and, “We will ride upon swift steeds”;
therefore your pursuers shall be swift.
¹⁷ A thousand shall flee at the threat of one;
at the threat of five you shall flee,
till you are left
like a flagstaff on the top of a mountain,
like a signal on a hill.

¹⁸ Therefore the Lord waits to be gracious to you,
and therefore he exalts himself to show mercy to you.
For the Lord is a God of justice;
blessed are all those who wait for him.

 

REFLECTION:

1. Verse 15 urges Judah to rely on God completely as the alternative to frantic, anxious military and political manoeuvrings. Isaiah believes that trust in Jehovah God is the foundation of security.  All trust in armaments and alliances, is an act of mistrust and idolatry that will only lead to destruction.
2. The assurance of faith is the conviction that anxious self-securing does not work in the real world. God is calling us to “repent and rest, be quiet and trust” in order to be safe and well in the world.
3. Recall a time when you have experienced the kind of contentment verse 15 promises. Thank God for that gift, and pray that he will renew contentment in you.

 

PRAYER:

Stay with God for a little longer.  Continue to converse with God and listen to what He wants to tell you.  Then write down any thought and/or prayer in your spiritual journal.

 

HYMN:

In Quietness and Trust – youtu.be/SNOupeb9se4

 

Read chapter in full: biblegateway.com/passage/?version=ESV&search=Isaiah+029

 
Chapter 29 (ESV)

¹³ And the Lord said:
“Because this people draw near with their mouth
and honor me with their lips,
while their hearts are far from me,
and their fear of me is a commandment taught by men,
¹⁴ therefore, behold, I will again
do wonderful things with this people,
with wonder upon wonder;
and the wisdom of their wise men shall perish,
and the discernment of their discerning men shall be hidden.”

¹⁵ Ah, you who hide deep from the Lord your counsel,
whose deeds are in the dark,
and who say, “Who sees us? Who knows us?”
¹⁶ You turn things upside down!
Shall the potter be regarded as the clay,
that the thing made should say of its maker,
“He did not make me”;
or the thing formed say of him who formed it,
“He has no understanding”?

 

REFLECTION:

1. The words in verse 13 are powerful. Each of us has sat in church with our mind far from God or prayed a familiar prayer with our lips and not our heart.  Familiarity is important, but it can also lead to boredom or, worse, contempt.
2. Worship means to pay honour to God or to show great love and devotion. Has your worship routine grown stagnant?  How can you refresh it and make it meaningful and truthful? You may begin by praying that each time you worship, you would experience and know God in a new way.

 

PRAYER:

Stay with God for a little longer.  Continue to converse with God and listen to what He wants to tell you.  Then write down any thought and/or prayer in your spiritual journal.

 

HYMN:

The Heart of Worship – youtu.be/P-Zp586pvZg

 

Read chapter in full: biblegateway.com/passage/?version=ESV&search=Isaiah+028

 
Chapter 28 (ESV)

⁵ In that day the Lord of hosts will be a crown of glory,
and a diadem of beauty, to the remnant of his people,
⁶ and a spirit of justice to him who sits in judgment,
and strength to those who turn back the battle at the gate.

⁷ These also reel with wine
and stagger with strong drink;
the priest and the prophet reel with strong drink,
they are swallowed by wine,
they stagger with strong drink,
they reel in vision,
they stumble in giving judgment.
⁸ For all tables are full of filthy vomit,
with no space left.

⁹ “To whom will he teach knowledge,
and to whom will he explain the message?
Those who are weaned from the milk,
those taken from the breast?
¹⁰ For it is precept upon precept, precept upon precept,
line upon line, line upon line,
here a little, there a little.”

¹¹ For by people of strange lips
and with a foreign tongue
the Lord will speak to this people,
¹²  to whom he has said,
“This is rest;
give rest to the weary;
and this is repose”;
yet they would not hear.
¹³ And the word of the Lord will be to them
precept upon precept, precept upon precept,
line upon line, line upon line,
here a little, there a little,
that they may go, and fall backward,
and be broken, and snared, and taken.

 

REFLECTION:

1. The priests and the false prophets in Judah were so drunk that they vomited all over the tables. Isaiah chose repeated words to mimic the staggering and stumbling of the drunkards: “do and do, do and do, rule on rule, rule on rule”.
2. Yet these drunken leaders mocked Isaiah for the simplicity and repetition with which he presented the Lord’s messages. So, God determined that the Assyrians would speak in a language God’s people could not mistake – the language of sword, fire, devastation and misery.
3. If we do not listen to God’s quiet, loving voice, he remains capable of grabbing us by the shoulders and shaking us until we pay attention!
4. What have you listened to God’s voice lately? And how did you respond?

 

PRAYER:

Stay with God for a little longer.  Continue to converse with God and listen to what He wants to tell you.  Then write down any thought and/or prayer in your spiritual journal.

 

HYMN:

Speak O Lord – youtu.be/ubRlJj8xkds

 

Read chapter in full: biblegateway.com/passage/?version=ESV&search=Isaiah+027

 
Chapter 27 (ESV)

¹ In that day the Lord with his hard and great and strong sword will punish Leviathan the fleeing serpent, Leviathan the twisting serpent, and he will slay the dragon that is in the sea.

² In that day,
“A pleasant vineyard, sing of it!
³     I, the Lord, am its keeper;
every moment I water it.
Lest anyone punish it,
I keep it night and day;
⁴     I have no wrath.
Would that I had thorns and briers to battle!
I would march against them,
I would burn them up together.
⁵ Or let them lay hold of my protection,
let them make peace with me,
let them make peace with me.”

 

REFLECTION:

1. Read the passage slowly and with imagination. Picture everything vividly, as if you were a child reading a story with beautiful, lifelike illustrations.
2. What do you notice about the way God interacts with “Leviathan the serpent”? With “the vine”?  What is He like?  Now put yourself in the scene.  What part do you play?  How do you feel?
3. Picture God turning to you and inviting you to talk with Him about what you are feeling and thinking. Does He ever seem angry to you, or uncaring?  What’s it like for you to hear Him say otherwise?  Share with Him your thoughts and feelings and allow the conversation to unfold.

PRAYER:

Stay with God for a little longer.  Continue to converse with God and listen to what He wants to tell you.  Then write down any thought and/or prayer in your spiritual journal.

 

HYMN:

Who Am I – youtu.be/3rT8Re1EIQc