There are five women in the genealogy of Jesus – five women with stained reputations but also five women whom God chose to bless by placing them in this royal lineage. As Jesus was growing up, I am sure his parents taught him the stories of his ancestors.

What would Jesus have said regarding his precious mother, Mary, the fifth of the women in this genealogy recorded by Matthew? Let’s look at her story – a story of a young woman who was the object of gossip, speculation, condemnation and, best of all, the love of Jesus.

Mary, just a simple young woman who was seen by God to be worthy of the task of raising God’s Son. Mary, a virgin waiting for her upcoming marriage to the carpenter Joseph, who was found to be with child before her wedding day. Who would believe her when she said an angel appeared to her? Who would be convinced that she was still a virgin? Who would be the first to call out for her stoning?

This is the story of how Mary came to be in the lineage of Jesus.

In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a village in Galilee, to a virgin named Mary. She was engaged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of King David. Gabriel appeared to her and said, “Greetings, favored woman! The Lord is with you!”

Mary responded, “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.” And the angel left her. – Luke 1:26-38

She could have panicked. She could have argued, “Why me?!!” She could have worried about her reputation or what her community might do to her. But Mary, precious Mary, responded in submission to God’s holy plan with a humility that is still highly respected today.

Mary – who sang a song of praise, “…Oh, how my soul praises the Lord. How my spirit rejoices in God my Savior! For he took notice of his lowly servant girl, and from now on all generations will call me blessed…” (1:47-48).

Mary – who traveled to Bethlehem in Judea, while far along in her pregnancy, only to arrive in labor with no place but a simple manger to give birth to the Christ child (2:4-7).

Mary – who listened to the shepherds’ story of what the angels had said to them and kept all these things in her heart, thinking about them often (2:16-19).

Mary – who presented her baby to the Lord in Jerusalem and was amazed by what Simeon had to say about the baby she held in her arms. Can you imagine what she was thinking when she heard his words: “This child is destined to cause many in Israel to fall, but he will be a joy to many others. He has been sent as a sign from God, but many will oppose him. As a result, the deepest thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your very soul” (2:34-35).

Mary – who then heard the praises of the prophet Anna as she approached their conversation with Simeon and began talking to everyone who had been waiting expectantly for God to rescue Jerusalem (2:36-38).

At what point do you think Mary began to feel a little overwhelmed? She was human and would have felt the same things we would feel if we thought we had lost our twelve year old in Jerusalem during the crowded Passover festival (2:48). She was his mother, no wonder she pushed him toward greatness at the wedding in Cana (John 2:3-5). She was his mother, no wonder she interrupted his ministry with the desire to talk with him and spend time with him (Matthew 12:46). He was her son, no wonder she wept as he hung on the cross dying (Matthew 27:56).

What would Jesus have to say about this fifth woman listed in his genealogy? She was his mother and he loved her.

Standing near the cross were Jesus’ mother, and his mother’s sister, Mary (the wife of Clopas), and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother standing there beside the disciple he loved, he said to her, “Dear woman, here is your son.” And he said to the disciple, “Here is your mother,” and from then on this disciple took her into his home (John 19:25-27).

Jesus said very little while on the cross, but he took the time to respond to his mother’s breaking heart. His love for her must have been so great! Wouldn’t it be great to be loved by Jesus in that way? But wait, we are! Remember this conversation:

Jesus asked, “Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?” Then he pointed to his disciples and said, “Look, these are my mother and brothers. Anyone who does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother!” (Matthew 12:48-50)

This fifth woman in the genealogy of Jesus was no doubt loved and cared for by her son, but that same love and care was poured out for us when Jesus gave His life on the cross so that we might spend eternity with Him. Let’s consider how much Jesus loves us as we celebrate His birth this CHRISTmas!

There are five women in the genealogy of Jesus – five women with stained reputations but also five women whom God chose to bless by placing them in this royal lineage. As Jesus was growing up, I am sure his parents taught him the stories of his ancestors.

What would Jesus have said regarding Bathsheba, the fourth of the women in his paternal genealogy? Let’s look at her story – a story that includes foolishness, adultery, intense grief and finally redemption – a second chance.

Salmon was the father of Boaz (whose mother was Rahab).
Boaz was the father of Obed (whose mother was Ruth).
Obed was the father of Jesse.
Jesse was the father of King David.
David was the father of Solomon (whose mother was Bathsheba, the widow of Uriah). – Matthew 1:5-6

The fact that Bathsheba is described in the genealogy of Jesus as the widow of Uriah is a reminder of the sin that brought her into this family tree. Bathsheba made a foolish decision that led to a weak moment which led to a tragic death of an innocent man, her husband.

In the spring of the year, when kings normally go out to war, David sent Joab and the Israelite army to fight the Ammonites. They destroyed the Ammonite army and laid siege to the city of Rabbah. However, David stayed behind in Jerusalem.

Late one afternoon, after his midday rest, David got out of bed and was walking on the roof of the palace. As he looked out over the city, he noticed a woman of unusual beauty taking a bath. He sent someone to find out who she was, and he was told, “She is Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam and the wife of Uriah the Hittite.” Then David sent messengers to get her; and when she came to the palace, he slept with her. She had just completed the purification rites after having her menstrual period. Then she returned home. Later, when Bathsheba discovered that she was pregnant, she sent David a message, saying, “I’m pregnant.” – 2 Samuel 11:1-5

David’s first mistake is that he was not where he should have been. He should have been on the battlefield with the Israelite army but chose to send them out alone. Bathsheba’s first mistake was similar. She was not where she should have been. Even if the weather was warm and a bath on the roof was permissible, she should have set up a covering to prevent anyone from being able to see her. Bathsheba would have been fully aware that she could be seen from the roof of the palace.

(Ladies, there is a strong warning in here for us. We know when our choice of clothing draws the eyes of men. When we wear something that reveals more than it should, we are no less foolish than Bathsheba was for bathing on the rooftop.)

“Stay ever so close to me, and you will not deviate from the path I have prepared for you.” This is how Sarah Young began today’s Jesus Calling devotional. This would have been good advice for David and Bathsheba. If they had stayed close to God, they would have been where they were supposed to be and would not have given into sexual immorality. Their union led to shame and an unplanned pregnancy, which led to a murder to cover up the transgression, which led to their grief when their son died seven days after birth.

David confessed his sin to the Lord and, although there were still some harsh consequences, God forgave David his sin (12:11-14). God blessed David and Bathsheba with another son and David named him Solomon. The Lord loved the child and sent word through Nathan the prophet that they should name him Jedidiah (which means “beloved of the Lord”), as the Lord had commanded. – 2 Samuel 12:24b-25

This is the story of how Bathsheba came to be in the lineage of Jesus. What would the young man, Jesus, have to say of this woman in his family story?

When a certain immoral woman from that city heard he was eating there, she brought a beautiful alabaster jar filled with expensive perfume. Then she knelt behind him at his feet, weeping. Her tears fell on his feet, and she wiped them off with her hair. Then she kept kissing his feet and putting perfume on them.

“I tell you, her sins—and they are many—have been forgiven, so she has shown me much love. But a person who is forgiven little shows only little love.” Then Jesus said to the woman, “Your sins are forgiven…Your faith has saved you; go in peace.” – Luke 7:37-50

If you can relate to Bathsheba’s foolish decisions and sinful behavior, if you understand the grief and regret she suffered, then perhaps these words are what you need to hear from the Prince of Peace himself, “Your sins are forgiven…Your faith has saved you; go in peace.” If you relate more to the Pharisees who stood in condemnation of the sinful woman who was kneeling at Jesus feet, if you have focused on the sins of another person instead of on their need for Jesus, then perhaps these words are also for you – “Your sins are forgiven…Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”

There are five women in the genealogy of Jesus – five women with stained reputations but also five women whom God chose to bless by placing them in this royal lineage. As Jesus was growing up, I am sure his parents taught him the stories of his ancestors.

What would Jesus have said regarding Ruth, the third of the women in his paternal genealogy? Let’s look at her story – a story that includes the loss of a husband and leaving everything she knows to go to a strange land, only to be treated as an outsider or foreigner. Ruth’s stained reputation had nothing to do with her actions and everything to do with the color of her skin and her ethnic heritage.

Just like Rahab, Ruth was a foreigner who took refuge under the wings of the God of Israel (Ruth 2:12). When given the opportunity to return to her family and their false gods, Ruth said to her mother-in-law, Naomi, “Don’t ask me to leave you and turn back. Wherever you go, I will go; wherever you live, I will live. Your people will be my people, and your God will be my God. Wherever you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. May the Lord punish me severely if I allow anything but death to separate us!” – Ruth 1:16-17

In those days, the nearest relative to the patriarch in the family was referred to as the “Family Redeemer.” They had three responsibilities:
1. If you became so poor that you were going to have to sell your land, the Family Redeemer was to pay off your debt so the land would remain in the family.
2. If you became so poor that you had to sell yourself into debt-slavery, the Family Redeemer was to purchase your debt and save you from slavery to a non-relative. You would then become a servant to the Family Redeemer to work off the debt.
3. If you were killed by another’s hand, the Family Redeemer was to pursue justice for you.

Boaz became the Family Redeemer for Naomi and Ruth when they returned to Israel from the country of Moab. Naomi returned to land that had been inactive in her husband’s absence. With no one there to plant the seed, there would be no harvest. Naomi sent Ruth out to gather what was left after the workers had harvested the fields. But God’s plan for Ruth was not for her to survive on leftovers, but that she would thrive in abundance. She had been faithfully devoted to both Naomi and to the Lord, and He was about to do something for her that was beyond her understanding.

Boaz was a wealthy and influential man and a close relative to Naomi’s deceased husband, Elimelech. Boaz was not the closest relative however, so he went on Ruth’s behalf and arranged to buy the land and take Ruth as his wife. I love the blessing of the elders and people who witnessed the generosity of Boaz:

“We are witnesses! May the Lord make this woman who is coming into your home like Rachel and Leah, from whom all the nation of Israel descended! May you prosper in Ephrathah and be famous in Bethlehem. And may the Lord give you descendants by this young woman who will be like those of our ancestor Perez, the son of Tamar and Judah.” – Ruth 4:11-12

Reading this passage has brought me to tears. Ruth was receiving a blessing in comparison to another young widow whom God blessed generously – Tamar. Like Tamar, Ruth was a widow who was left without children to carry on the family name. But God had a plan of redemption for Ruth, just as He had for Tamar. Not only would Ruth’s family be famous in Bethlehem, Bethlehem would become famous because of Ruth’s family.

The women in the town saw this union of Boaz and Ruth as Naomi’s redemption. She had lost her husband and both of her sons and was left alone with only her daughter-in-law to support her. Knowing who was to be born in this family lineage, consider the powerful words of these unsuspecting women as they speak a blessing on Naomi and her descendants.

“Praise the Lord, who has now provided a redeemer for your family! May this child be famous in Israel. May he restore your youth and care for you in your old age. For he is the son of your daughter-in-law who loves you and has been better to you than seven sons!”

Naomi took the baby and cuddled him to her breast. And she cared for him as if he were her own. The neighbor women said, “Now at last Naomi has a son again!” And they named him Obed. He became the father of Jesse and the grandfather of David. – Ruth 4:14-17

So Ruth was the great-grandmother to David, the first King of Israel and the one whose lineage would produce the Messiah. From the union of Boaz and Ruth, the ultimate Family Redeemer would be born. Because of our own sinful choices, we were slaves to our sin, but Jesus paid the debt for our sins and rescued us from slavery.

“For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.” – Matthew 20:28

For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. Yet God, with undeserved kindness, declares that we are righteous. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life , shedding his blood. – Romans 3:23-25a

He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins. – Ephesians 1:7

He gave his life to free us from every kind of sin, to cleanse us, and to make us his very own people, totally committed to doing good deeds. – Titus 2:14

This is the story of how Ruth came to be in the lineage of Jesus. Though others saw her as less because of where she came from, God saw her as more because He knew where she was going. God’s plan of redemption was not only for Tamar and for Rahab and for Ruth. God’s plan of redemption is for all of us. No matter who we are or what we have done, Jesus is our Family Redeemer. Though we are poor and have nothing of earthly value to offer him, He has paid our debt and delivered us from slavery to sin.

This Christmas, let us worship our Family Redeemer – the One who was born and died to offer us eternal life. Let’s humbly bow down and offer to Him all that we are, along with all of our past regrets, so that we can walk into His future and thankfully accept His gift of salvation.

There are five women in the genealogy of Jesus – five women with stained reputations but also five women whom God chose to bless by placing them in this royal lineage. As Jesus was growing up, I am sure his parents taught him the stories of his ancestors. We know that Jesus was well studied in the law and history of the Israelites. He would have known the stories of all those names in his genealogy – both the family lineage of the man who was known as his father, Joseph, and the family lineage of his mother, Mary.

What would Jesus have said regarding Rahab, the second of the women in his paternal genealogy? Let’s look at her story – a story that includes prostitution, deceit, dishonesty and finally redemption and a new life.

Tamar had disguised herself and acted as a prostitute one time in an act of deceit but Rahab made a living from prostitution. Rahab opened her home up to strangers as an inn or hotel in the walled city of Jericho. It was common for women who owned this kind of business to also offer more than just a place to sleep for the night but to also offer their body to the strangers passing through town.

But this night was different. Her guests served the God she had heard so much about, the God who drew her to Himself in a way that perhaps made her feel loved and worthy for the first time. So when Rahab received orders from the king of Jericho to bring out the spies, Rahab lied and said the spies were no longer there. To protect these godly men, she had hidden them beneath bundles of flax she had laid out on the roof and lied about their whereabouts in order to help them escape safely.

Before the spies went to sleep that night, Rahab went on the roof to talk with them. “I know the Lord has given you this land,” she told them. “We are all afraid of you. Everyone in the land is living in terror. For we have heard how the Lord made a dry path for you through the Red Sea when you left Egypt. And we know what you did to Sihon and Og, the two Amorite kings east of the Jordan River, whose people you completely destroyed. No wonder our hearts have melted in fear! No one has the courage to fight after hearing such things. For the Lord your God is the supreme God of the heavens above and the earth below.

“Now swear to me by the Lord that you will be kind to me and my family since I have helped you. Give me some guarantee that when Jericho is conquered, you will let me live, along with my father and mother, my brothers and sisters, and all their families.” – Joshua 2:8-13

Rahab’s desire was to live. But beyond the idea of escaping death, Rahab’s heart desired to REALLY live – to experience the kind of life the God of Israel could give her. She had heard the stories and her heart longed to be a part of what God was doing. This foreign prostitute had developed a faith in God in the midst of a pagan world.

So Joshua spared Rahab the prostitute and her relatives who were with her in the house, because she had hidden the spies Joshua sent to Jericho. And she lives among the Israelites to this day. – Joshua 6:25

This is the story of how Rahab came to be in the lineage of Jesus. In this story, Rahab risked her life in order to spare the life of two men of God. She walked away from everything she had ever known – the sin, the shame, the regret, the scarlet rope – and began worshipping the God who had always loved her.

A man named Salmon (a descendant of Tamar’s son Perez) looked beyond Rahab’s past and gave her a future as his wife. Perhaps Salmon remembered the redemption of Tamar when he looked at Rahab and was willing to offer her the same grace that had been extended to his ancestor. Together they had a son and they named him Boaz. All three of these names can be found in the genealogy of Jesus Christ.

What would the young man, Jesus, have to say of this woman in his family story? What would Jesus have to say of this woman with a history of sexual immorality? Perhaps Jesus’ thoughts went to Rahab when he knelt down and wrote in the sand:

Jesus returned to the Mount of Olives, but early the next morning he was back again at the Temple. A crowd soon gathered, and he sat down and taught them. As he was speaking, the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in the act of adultery. They put her in front of the crowd.

“No, Lord,” she said.
And Jesus said, “Neither do I. Go and sin no more.” – John 8:1-11

Perhaps there is a “scarlet rope” in your past that has kept you in bondage when God wants to use it for your escape. Just like Tamar and Rahab, God’s perfect plan for you includes redemption and forgiveness – new life in Christ.

Or maybe it is not you that you are using the “scarlet rope” against. Perhaps there is someone in your life for whom God intends redemption and forgiveness but you are using the “scarlet rope” to keep her in bondage, unwilling to forgive or forget the sinful decisions she has made.

Jesus is stooping down and writing something in the sand. Listen closely. He is saying something. “But let the one who has never sinned through the first stone!” Let’s put down the stone in our hand, unwrap the “scarlet rope” from around her reputation and offer her the same thing that God offers her – redemption and forgiveness – new life in Christ.

There are five women in the genealogy of Jesus – five women with stained reputations but also five women whom God chose to bless by placing them in this royal lineage. As Jesus was growing up, I am sure his parents taught him the stories of his ancestors. We know that Jesus was well studied in the law and history of the Israelites. He would have known the stories of all those names in his genealogy – both the family lineage of the man who was known as his father, Joseph, and the family lineage of his mother, Mary.

What would Jesus have said regarding Tamar, the first of the women in his paternal genealogy? Let’s look at her story – a story that includes grief, abuse, rejection, abandonment, prostitution, deceit and finally redemption.

In the course of time, Judah arranged for his firstborn son, Er, to marry a young woman named Tamar. But Er was a wicked man in the Lord’s sight, so the Lord took his life. Then Judah said to Er’s brother Onan, “Go and marry Tamar, as our law requires of the brother of a man who has died. You must produce an heir for your brother.”

When the time came for Tamar to give birth, it was discovered that she was carrying twins. While she was in labor, one of the babies reached out his hand. The midwife grabbed it and tied a scarlet string around the child’s wrist, announcing, “This one came out first.” But then he pulled back his hand, and out came his brother! “What!” the midwife exclaimed. “How did you break out first?” So he was named Perez. Then the baby with the scarlet string on his wrist was born, and he was named Zerah. – Genesis 38:6-16, 24-30

God had a plan – the Messiah would be a descendant of Abraham and a descendant of Judah and a descendant of Perez. But Judah married a Canaanite woman, whose influence on his sons caused them to be evil in the eyes of the Lord. In spite of all of this, God continued to work out his plan. In spite of Judah’s sins of selfishness, God took the unholy union of Judah and Tamar and made a beautiful thing. Tamar was pregnant with twin boys. Zerah began to come out first but God’s plan was for Perez so he caused Zerah to pull back and Perez to be born first.

This is the story of how Tamar came to be in the lineage of Jesus. In this story, Tamar is first a victim of the sinful choices of three men in the lineage of Jacob, but Tamar did not remain innocent in this story. She devised a plan of deception that included sexual immorality. What would the young man, Jesus, have to say of this woman in his family story? What would Jesus have to say of the man, Perez, whose birth was the result of a crisis pregnancy?

Perhaps Jesus’ thoughts went to Tamar when he met the Samaritan woman at the well – a well that was near the field that Jacob gave his son Joseph. Perhaps he was thinking of Jacob’s daughter-in-law who would have perhaps drawn water from this same well at one time.

The story of the Samaritan woman had some resemblance to the story of Tamar – multiple husbands and then union with a man who was not her husband. Her story might have included the same elements as Tamar’s – grief, abuse, rejection, abandonment, prostitution, and deceit. What we know is that her story included redemption.

If you have some of these same elements in your story, perhaps these words of Jesus are for you today:
“If you only knew the gift God has for you and who you are speaking to, you would ask me, and I would give you living water.”

“Anyone who drinks this water will soon become thirsty again. But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life.” – John 4:10, 13-14

God’s perfect plan for your life probably did not include a lot of the junk that makes up your story but His plan for you has always ended in redemption. He sent His son to be born of a woman pledged to be married to Joseph – whose family story was far from perfect. That same son died on a cross in order to complete your story – to be sure that it can include a story of redemption from sins and eternal life that can be found by accepting the living water that He offers you today.

This Christmas, let us worship the One who was born and died to offer us eternal life. Let’s humbly bow down and offer to Him our past so that we can walk into His future.

As I finished up the book of Isaiah this morning, I heard God’s call to authenticity in our lives. I believe our society is similar to the Hebrew people of those days – we go through the motions when God wants more than just acting and pretending. God calls us to authentic worship while living a righteous life that matches our testimony of our walk with Christ.

I think the timing of reading this Scripture is helpful as we enter the Christmas Season. It would be easy to step into all of our traditions and go through the motions while missing an opportunity to truly devote this time of the year to the One whose name the season bears.

“Shout with a voice of a trumpet blast.
Shout aloud! Don’t be timid.
Tell my people Israel of their sins! Yet they act so pious!
They come to the Temple every day and seem delighted to learn all about me.
They act like a righteous nation that would never abandon the laws of its God.
They ask me to take action on their behalf, pretending they want to be near me.

“I will answer them before they even call to me.
While they are still talking about their needs,
I will go ahead and answer their prayers!” – Isaiah 65:24

“I will bless those who have humble and contrite hearts, who tremble at my word.
But those who choose their own ways
– delighting in their detestable sins –
Will not have their offerings accepted.
When such people sacrifice a bull, it is not more acceptable than a human sacrifice.
When they sacrifice a lamb, it’s as though they had sacrificed a dog!
When they bring an offering of grain, they might as well offer the blood of a pig.
When they burn frankincense, it’s as if they had blessed an idol.
I will send them great trouble – all things they feared.
For when I called, they did not answer.
When I spoke, they did not listen.
They deliberately sinned before my very eyes and chose to do what they know I despise.” – Isaiah 66:2b-4

Jesus, may You be pleased with our celebration of Your birth this year. Lord, our desire is to keep this Christmas about You. May we not become so distracted by the worldly traditions and commercial hype that we miss the opportunity to humble ourselves in authentic worship of You. Amen.

How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of the messenger who brings good news, the good news of peace and salvation. – Isaiah 52:7

God’s message to His people long ago that they were to leave captivity and enter into a time of peace is the same message for His people today. Jesus died so that we might experience salvation from our bondage and peace in our new freedom. In His grace, God loves us enough to accept us just as we are, but loves us too much to leave us there. His plan for us is not imprisonment, starvation and death – it is peace and salvation. It is time to leave our exile and enter into His presence.

“I, yes, I am the one who comforts you.
So why are you afraid of mere humans, who wither like the grace and disappear?
Yet you have forgotten the Lord, your Creator, the one who stretched out the sky like a canopy and laid the foundations of the earth.
Will you remain in constant dread of human oppressors?
Will you continue to fear the anger of your enemies?
Where is their fury and anger now? It is gone!

Soon all you captives will be released!
Imprisonment, starvation, and death will not be your fate!
For I am the Lord your God, who stirs up the sea, causing its waves to roar.
My name is the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.
And I have put my words in your mouth and hidden you safely in my hand.
I stretched out the sky like a canopy and laid the foundations of the earth.
I am the one who says to Israel, ‘You are my people!’” – Isaiah 51:12-16

Fear of situations or people in our lives often keeps us in our bondage unnecessarily. We worry about what they might think, or what they could say. Our concern about the people around us keeps us from jumping into God’s peace with both feet.

“I have created the blacksmith who fans the coals beneath the forge and makes the weapons of destruction. And I have created the armies that destroy.” – Isaiah 54:16

Can the creation become bigger than the Creator? Is that which was made by the power of its Maker more powerful now? No! God is greater than any situation we might face. Therefore, there is no need to stay imprisoned when His plan for us is peace and the freedom that comes from salvation.

God is saying – I am bigger than any situation or persecution or teasing you could ever experience on earth. He understands fully what you are facing. He has hidden you safely in His hand, stretching out a canopy above you and laying down a foundation beneath you. You are His child; joy and peace are His plan for you.

You will live in joy and peace.
The mountains and hills will burst into song, and the trees of the field will clap their hands! – Is. 55:12

God says, “Rebuild the road! Clear away the rocks and stones so my people can return from captivity.” – Is. 57:14

What is it that keeps you imprisoned? God wants to clear away any barriers between your current captivity and the freedom He died to give you. What are you hungry for? His plan is not for us to die of starvation when He has provided everything we need to grow and prosper in Him. What is causing you to feel like you are dying inside?

Get out! Get out and leave your captivity…For the Lord will go ahead of you; yes, the God of Israel will protect you from behind. – Is. 52:11-12

“You will know at last that I, the Lord, am your Savior and your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Israel.
I will exchange your bronze for gold,
your iron for silver,
your wood for bronze,
and your stones for iron.
I will make peace your leader and righteousness your ruler…

No longer will you need the sun to shine by day,
nor the moon to give its light by night,
for the Lord your God will be your everlasting light,
and your God will be your glory.” –Is. 60:16b-19

My servant grew up in the Lord’s presence like a tender green shoot, like a root in dry ground.
There was nothing beautiful or majestic about his appearance, nothing to attract us to him.
He was despised and rejected – a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief.
We turned our backs on him and looked the other way.
He was despised, and we did not care. – Isaiah 53:2-3

Then, accompanied by the disciples, Jesus left the upstairs room and went as usual to the Mount of Olives. There he told them, “Pray that you will not give in to temptation.”

But even as Jesus said this, a crowd approached, led by Judas, one of the twelve disciples. Judas walked over to Jesus to greet him with a kiss. But Jesus said, “Judas, would you betray the Son of Man with a kiss?” – Luke 22:39-48

Yet it was our weaknesses he carried; it was our sorrows that weighed him down.
And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God, a punishment for his own sins.
He was beaten so we could be whole.
He was whipped so we could be healed. – Isaiah 53:4-5

“Crucify him!”
“Why?” Pilate demanded. “What crime has he committed?”
But the mob roared even louder, “Crucify him!”

So to pacify the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas to them. He ordered Jesus flogged with a lead-tipped whip, then turned him over to the Roman soldiers to be crucified…They dressed him in a purple robe, and they wove thorn branches into a crown and put it on his head. Then they saluted him and taunted, “Hail! King of the Jews!” And they struck him on the head with a reed stick, spit on him, and dropped to their knees in mock worship…Then they led him away to be crucified. – Mark 15:13-15, 17-20

All of us, like sheep, have strayed away.
We have left God’s paths to follow our own.
Yet the Lord laid on him the sins of us all. – Isaiah 53:6

At noon, darkness fell across the whole land until three o’clock. At about three o’clock, Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” which means “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?” – Matthew 27:45-46

He was oppressed and treated harshly, yet he never said a word.
He was led like a lamb to the slaughter.
And as a sheep is silent before the shearers, he did not open his mouth.
Unjustly condemned, he was led away. – Isaiah 53:7-8a

But when the leading priests and the elders made their accusations against him, Jesus remained silent. “Don’t you hear all these charges they are bringing against you?” Pilate demanded. But Jesus made no response to any of the charges, much to the governor’s surprise. – Matthew 27:12-14

No one cared that he died without descendants, that his life was cut short in midstream.
But he was struck down for the rebellion of my people.
He had done no wrong and had never deceived anyone.
But he was buried like a criminal; he was put in a rich man’s grave… – Isaiah 53:8b-9

Now there was a good and righteous man named Joseph…He went to Pilate and asked for Jesus’ body. Then he took the body down from the cross and wrapped it in a long sheet of linen cloth and laid it in a new tomb that had been carved out of rock. – Luke 23:50-53

And because of his experience, my righteous servant will make it possible for many to be counted righteous, for he will bear all their sins.
I will give him the honors of a victorious soldier, because he exposed himself to death.
He was counted among the rebels.
He bore the sins of many and interceded for rebels. – Isaiah 53:11b-12

Morning by morning he wakens me and opens my understanding to his will.
The Sovereign Lord has spoken to me and I have listened…
Because the Sovereign Lord helps me, I will not be disgraced.
Therefore, I have set my face like a stone, determined to do his will. – Isaiah 50:4b-5a,7

Last month I attended the Come to the Fire conference hosted this year by Olivet Nazarene University. I went with a heavy heart and a need to spend time in God’s presence. I was feeling overwhelmed by my job and unequipped for some difficult decisions ahead of me. I prayed for God to fill me with His Spirit and give me wisdom for the work to which He has called me.

At one of the services, they laid 3000 promises on the altar and invited participants to come up and pick up a word from the Lord. The leadership of the conference said they had prayed for this moment and were trusting that each individual would find the promise that God specifically intended for them. My heart was filled with comfort when I picked up the first slip of paper that caught my eye and read the following verse:

“I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you.” – Psalm 32:8

This morning I walk into God’s presence with a desire to understand His plan and to be instructed by Him in the way I should go. The following verses were a help to me and I pray that God uses them in your specific situation today.

“I am the Lord your God, who teaches you what is good for you and leads you along the paths you should follow.” – Isaiah 48:17b

“At just the right time, I will respond to you…” – Is. 49:8a

Yet Jerusalem says, “The Lord has deserted us; the Lord has forgotten us.”
“Never! Can a mother forget her nursing child?
Can she feel no love for the child she has borne?
But even if that was possible, I would not forget you!
See, I have written your name on the palms of my hands.” – Is. 49:14-16a

If you are walking in darkness, without a ray of light, trust in the Lord and rely on your God.
But watch out, you who live in your own light and warm yourselves by your own fires. – Is. 50:10b-11

What a great reminder to me when I am tempted to solve my own problems, make my own decisions, or look for advice from other people instead of praying for wisdom from God. To do that would be to rely on myself – to live in my own light and warm myself by my own fire.

Oh Lord, I long to come to Your fire, to be warmed by Your presence and to walk in Your light! Yesterday You reminded me that You have had a plan for me since before I was born. Today You remind me that You will teach me and give me wisdom for the task You have before me. Thank you, Father, for Your generosity. I don’t have to warm myself by my own fire or accomplish anything by my own strength today. Why drink water, which is the only thing I can afford if I rely on myself, when I can drink of the more expensive wisdom that comes freely from You?! Today I choose to listen to You and trust that Your ways are much better than mine. I trust You to teach me, instruct me, counsel me and watch over me.

“Is anyone thirsty? Come and drink – even if you have no money!
Come, take your choice of wine or milk – it’s all free!
Why spend your money on food that does not give you strength?
Why pay for food that does you no good?
Listen to me, and you will eat what is good. You will enjoy the finest food.

“My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord.
“And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine.
For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts are higher than your thoughts.” – Isaiah 55:1-3,6,8-9

“And why have I called you for this work?
Why did I call you by name when you did not know me…” – Isaiah 45:4

There have been several times over the course of my life when I have wondered why God chose me for the purpose He seems to have called me. I assume we have all had moments like this – moments when we wonder what our purpose is or why God chose us for this purpose. At times we look to the person on our left and the person on our right and ask God why His plan for them is so different from His plan for us.

“What sorrow awaits those who argue with their Creator.
Does a clay pot argue with its maker?
Does the clay dispute with the one who shapes it, saying ‘Stop, you’re doing it wrong!’” – Is.45:9

Isaiah spoke of how God uses even those who do not know Him. 150 years before it took place, Isaiah prophesied that God would use a foreign leader named Cyrus to accomplish His plan of setting Israel free from Babylon. “I will raise up Cyrus to fulfill my righteous purpose, and I will guide his actions. He will restore my city and free my captive people – without seeking a reward! I, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, have spoken!” – Isaiah 45:13

God had a plan for Cyrus before he was even born. He prepared the way for this man before he had even submitted to God’s sovereignty in his life. In the same way, God has had a plan for each of us before we were even born. He goes before us and equips us for the battle to which He has called us. He does this for two purposes – salvation and righteousness. It is God’s plan that each of us would come to a saving knowledge of who He is and how He has loved and cared for us before we were even a thought in the mind of our parents. It is God’s plan for righteousness to “sprout up together” with salvation to accomplish His purposes (Is. 45:2-8).

“I have cared for you since before you were born.
Yes, I carried you before you were born.
I will be your God throughout your lifetime – until your hair is white with age.
I made you, and I will care for you.
I will carry you along and save you.” – Is. 46:3b-4

How beautiful! God cares for us and carries us from the time before we were born, throughout our lifetime, until the end of our life. He carries us along with the plan to save us and to accomplish His purposes through us – so that salvation and righteousness can sprout up together.

The Lord called me before my birth; from within the womb he called me by name.
He made my words of judgment as sharp as a sword.
He has hidden me in the shadow of his hand.
I am like a sharp arrow in his quiver.
He said to me, “You are my servant, Israel, and you will bring me glory.”

And now the Lord speaks – the one who formed me in my mother’s womb to be his servant, who commissioned me to bring Israel back to him.
The Lord has honored me, and my God has given me strength.
He says, “You will do more than restore the people of Israel to me.
I will make you a light to the Gentiles, and you will bring salvation to the ends of the earth.” – Is. 49:1b-6

…so that salvation and righteousness can sprout up together. God saves us for the sake of righteousness, with which he saves others for the sake of righteousness, so that still others can be restored to a place of salvation for the sake of righteousness.

God, only you know your plan for my day but I submit to your plan. Thank you for caring for me, for carrying me. I submit to your plan. Use me for your purposes today, Oh Lord. Help me to see you at work in the lives of all those around me – those who have come to a saving knowledge of you and those who still do not know you. Give me eyes to see what you see and a heart that trusts you with the details. Amen.