Focus

Slow your breathing and become aware of the taking in and letting out of your breath. Focus on putting things aside so you will be open to what God is saying to you today.

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Read

Isaiah 26:1-9 (NRSV)

On that day this song will be sung in the land of Judah:
We have a strong city;
he sets up victory
like walls and bulwarks.
Open the gates,
so that the righteous nation that keeps faith
may enter in.
Those of steadfast mind you keep in peace—
in peace because they trust in you.
Trust in the LORD forever,
for in the LORD GOD
you have an everlasting rock.
For he has brought low
the inhabitants of the height;
the lofty city he lays low.
He lays it low to the ground,
casts it to the dust.
The foot tramples it,
the feet of the poor,
the steps of the needy.

The way of the righteous is level;
O Just One, you make smooth the path of the righteous.
In the path of your judgments,
O LORD, we wait for you;
your name and your renown
are the soul’s desire.
My soul yearns for you in the night,
my spirit within me earnestly seeks you.
For when your judgments are in the earth,
the inhabitants of the world learn righteousness.

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Reflect

Isaiah tells us that we will have peace of mind if we stay focused on God. When we allow worry to overtake us, we are far from the peace God has promised. It is difficult not to worry when a child is ill, an aging loved one is declining, or we are unemployed. Challenges come our way and we tend to try to fix them on our own. We don’t allow God’s grace and provision to enter into our circumstances. While we should turn to God first, we should also make use of the resources that God has provided for us.

God is the stability we seek when life seems anything but stable. The scriptures are extremely relevant to the condition of the world today. Many people think there is no hope that the world situation will improve, increasing feelings of hopeless about the future. As believers, we can look at what is happening in our world and realize that we have a God who is faithful. Therein lies our hope. Praise be to God!

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Pray

O God, we come to you with thankful hearts, knowing that you hear every prayer and receive them through your Son, Jesus Christ. We are grateful for your compassion and everlasting love. Help us to remember that you will keep us in perfect peace when we look to you in our weakness and pain. We need you, Lord. In Jesus name. Amen.

Go with God.