Read
A Prayer of Thanks to God
1You, Lord, are my God!
I will praise you
for doing the wonderful things
you had planned and promised
since ancient times.
2You have destroyed the fortress
of our enemies,
leaving their city in ruins.
Nothing in that foreign city
will ever be rebuilt.
3Now strong and cruel nations
will fear and honor you.
4You have been a place of safety
for the poor and needy
in times of trouble.
Brutal enemies pounded us
like a heavy rain
or the heat of the sun at noon,
but you were our shelter.
5Those wild foreigners struck
like scorching desert heat.
But you were like a cloud,
protecting us from the sun.
You kept our enemies from singing
songs of victory.
The Lord Has Saved Us
6On this mountain
the Lord All-Powerful
will prepare for all nations
a feast of the finest foods.
Choice wines and the best meats
will be served.
7Here the Lord will strip away
the burial clothes
that cover the nations.
8 The Lord All-Powerful
will destroy the power of death
and wipe away all tears.
No longer will his people
be insulted everywhere.
The Lord has spoken!
9At that time, people will say,
“The Lord has saved us!
Let's celebrate.
We waited and hoped—
now our God is here.”
10 The powerful arm of the Lord
will protect this mountain.
The Moabites will be put down
and trampled on like straw
in a pit of manure.
11They will struggle to get out,
but God will humiliate them
no matter how hard they try.
12The walls of their fortresses
will be knocked down
and scattered in the dirt.
Reflect
As you read Chapter 25, did you find yourself smiling? I sure did.
After all of the prophecies of doom and being confronted with the consequences of sin, it’s refreshing to see Isaiah’s words of praise. These 12 verses remind us that our Lord…
- Has done wonderful things that he has planned and promised
- Shelters us from our enemies
- Is a place of safety for the poor and needy
- Destroyed the power of death and wipes away all tears
Doesn’t that just make you want to shout? I sure do!
Well, at least I do at this moment.
Part of me wants to just stop and praise God right now for who he is and thank him for what he was done. The other part is feeling a bit guilty for not expressing my praise more often.
Amid all of the demands on my time I too easily push these truths to the back of my mind. I forget that, through his grace, God has given me this abundant life and the promise of being with him after death. Even when I attend a worship service, how often is my full attention focused on praising and worshipping him? I’m afraid too often I’m easily distracted by my to-do list or my worries that my son is disturbing others.
I’m thankful though that Isaiah has given us a beautiful example of what praise should look like. It gives me a goal to work towards. May we each find a way to follow this example today.
Respond
Gracious Lord, you have indeed done so many great and mighty things. Today I just want to take time to praise you for the many wonders you have planned and purposed. Thank you for always being my shelter in the storms of life. Amen.
Pam Caudill
Dr. Pamela Caudill, a Nebraska-based researcher and psychologist, writes and speaks about life transformation and spiritual growth. As the Center for Bible Engagement's Senior Researcher, Pam conducts studies on scripture engagement, church health, and life transformation. A frequent conference speaker, Pam is the author of Managing Your Family’s High Tech Habits and Better Relationships, Better Life, in addition to dozens of academic journal articles and white papers.