Current studies in both management and leadership highlight the critical role of developing good relations with those around us. The Wise Man speaks of core areas of life that demand the continued development and cultivation of good relations, namely relations with people very near us.

God despises manufactured worship. Empty words. Mechanical motions. Repetitive lists of man-made rules. A focus on art with little regard for the Artist. How can any of this be considered worship?

Isaiah delivers the Lord’s rebuke in chapter 29.

God’s people aren’t acting very godly. In fact, they’re blatantly disobedient. “This is the LORD’s message for his rebellious people,” Isaiah writes in verse 30:1. “You follow your own plans instead of mine; you make treaties without asking me, and you keep on sinning.”

Rebellious, deceitful, unwilling to listen to God’s instructions.

God is calling his people. He is urging them to listen and to respond. It seems to be the same story over and over again. God shows his power and wisdom on Israel’s behalf, but they quickly forget. They see the impossible task ahead of them and feel lost and vulnerable. They look to each other, and their leaders, to protect them. But Isaiah stands in the gap as he speaks the words of God in an effort to keep them from harm.

The southern kingdom of Judah is on shaky ground. With the fall of Samaria and the northern empire all but gone, King Hezekiah’s vast territory is now in the crosshairs of an Assyrian threat.

So Hezekiah – at the advice of his royal counselors – concocts a preemptive strike.

Isaiah reminds us that the world’s pain and suffering is temporary. One day in the not so distant future, wounded hearts will be healed … tears wiped away. The Lord is returning!

“Here is a message for all who are weak, trembling, and worried,” the prophet shares in 35:3-6.

When my children were younger they used to sing this chorus; “Life is made of ups and downs. Some days we smile, some days we frown. But every day we wear a crown – because we’re kids of the King …”

Psalm 31 is about the ups and downs of life – how David moves from anguish to assurance.