June 12, 2011

6-12-11 Sunday, 5:06 am Springfield, 66 degrees.

Finally a morning that is a little cooler. Today Steve and I leave for our motorcycle trip after church. We will reach Concordia, Kansas for dinner at his mom’s house, and on Monday spend the night in Walden, Colorado. From there we will head south through Pueblo to Garden City, and then on Wednesday the long drive across Kansas and back to Springfield in time for me to teach the Isaiah Bible Study. I am looking forward to this long, hard ride and all that goes with it.

Isaiah 52

The rulers of the people howl in captivity. God heard their cry long ago in Egypt. Now in Babylon all day long His name is despised. Verse 6: “Therefore my people shall know my name; therefore in that day they shall know that it is I who speak; here am I.” God revealing Himself to His people as the great I am. It is so easy for followers of God to get discouraged when circumstances do not proceed in a favorable fashion. National defeat, personal loss, natural disasters all contribute to the illusion that God either is powerless or has abandoned us.

There was about 50 years in which the Assyrian power waned, and the leaders of Judah developed a false sense of security even as they strayed from directly following God. When the Babylonians finally hauled them off into captivity, there was incredible anguish and confusion. This must have been some of the feelings of the German people after the horrible defeat of World War I and the strict imposition of the treaty of Versailles. Currently here in the U.S.A. we are in a period of relative security; however the economic downturn, unemployment and the crisis in the housing market are making for tough times across the country.

Verse 7: “How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of the messenger who announces peace, who brings good news, who announces salvation, who says to Zion, ‘your God reigns.” I will be in the mountains of Colorado tomorrow, and today I have the privilege of announcing peace, the good news that “our God reigns”.

Holy God, You reign in Zion, in all the earth and throughout the universe. In my life, Lord, be glorified today. May the words of my mouth, my understanding compassion, my pastoral presence affirm your reign in my life, your presence in the faith community, and your hope for the future as your kingdom comes, on earth as it is in heaven. Amen!