Isaiah Chapters 45-55
Chapter 45: “Turn to me and be saved, all the ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other.” -Isaiah 45:22 The hope is that everyone will turn to the Lord one day. No matter where you are in your journey or how long it has been, you can turn to the Lord now, and he will meet you where you are. We all fall from time to time, me included. sin is always there, tempting us to fall away from God. Yet, all we have to do is turn to God and be saved.
Chapter 46: “Listen to me, you stubborn of heart, you who are far from deliverance.” - Isaiah 46:12 As humans, we are stubborn. We tend to think our way is the better way. Yet, I do not know about anyone else, but for me, no matter how many times I try to go my own way, it never really works out. On the other hand, when I follow the Lord, things just seem to fall into place when they are supposed to. We all have something that we struggle with. Part of my stubbornness is that I do not have a lot of patience, and so when I have to wait for long periods of time for something I get frustrated and want to do it my own way. So, whatever that stubbornness might be for you ask God to help keep him at the center of your life.
Chapter 47: “Our Redeemer - the Lord of hosts is his name - is the Holy One of Israel.” -Isaiah 47:4 Chapter 47 is a reminder that God will protect the faithful. Ultimately everything we read from Isaiah points to Jesus Christ and his passion, death, and resurrection. His victory over sin and death. And our salvation.
Chapter 48: “Listen to me, O Jacob, and Israel, whom I called! I am He, I am the first, and I am the last.” -Isaiah 48:12 God existed from the very beginning and will last forever. God has planned everything and right now he decided that this time needed one of you. His plan for you is great and all we have to do is follow.
Chapter 49: “Sing for joy, O heavens, and exult, O earth; break forth, O mountains, into singing! For the Lord has comforted his people, and will have compassion on his afflicted.” - Isaiah 49:13 Sing for joy. Everyday we get closer to Easter. Lent at this point I am sure some of you are ready for Lent to be over. Trust me I am there with you. Today take a moment and find something you are grateful. Thank God today, it can be something big or as small as thanking him for waking up this morning. Sing for joy, focus on the good today and not on the fact that Lent seems like to be happening longer than normal.
Chapter 50: “Who among you fears the Lord and obeys the voice of his servant, who walks in darkness and has no light, yet trusts in the name of the Lord and relies upon his God?” - Isaiah 50:10 This verse shows how we need to trust in the Lord even in darkness. We all have times when it feels like there is no light at the end of the tunnel. This is when we should lean on the Lord even more. Jesus can be our sense of calm and stability when it feels like everything around us is falls to pieces.
Chapter 51: “For I am the Lord your God, who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar — the Lord of hosts is his name.” - Isaiah 51:15 Every chapter we read we hear more and more on the salvation that God has planned. Jesus is Lord of lords, King of kings, he is the one who died for our sins so that one day we could be in heaven with our father. All of chapter 51 points to the salvation that Jesus Christ brings.
Chapter 52: “The Lord has bared his holy arm before the eyes of all the nations; and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God.” - Isaiah 52:10 God wants all of us to be saved. He wants us in Heaven with him at the end of our life here on earth. Yet, he gave us free will, meaning we get to choose to follow him or not. Take an extra 15 minutes today and sit with the Lord.
Chapter 53: “But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that made us whole, and with his stripes we are healed.” - Isaiah 53:5 When you read this verse, what do you picture? For me, I picture the passion of Christ. Jesus was sinless, yet he paid the debt for my sins are yours. Every chapter that we read; we can see the fulfillment of it in the Gospels.
Chapter 54: “For a brief moment I forsook you, but with great compassion I will gather you.” - 54:7 Upon reading chapter 54, I got the sense that this chapter connects the Old and New Testaments. When reading other parts of the Old Testament, we see the wrath of God. With the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, we see the compassion of God.
Chapter 55: “Seek the Lord while he may be found, call upon him while he is near.” -Isaiah 55:6 Jesus is always near; all we have to do is call upon him. Through prayer, we talk to Jesus about what is going on in our lives, what we need help with, or seek prayers for others. Seek the Lord, he can answer your prayers and bring the comfort and peace we all want in life.
Bible used is on the Ascension Press App. Highly recommend getting that app if you do not already have it. They have so many things for you to use. Plus, you now have a Bible on you wherever you go.
Again, thank you so much for joining me this Lent and walking through the book of Isaiah. It brings me so much joy to share the things that stand out to me. We are getting so much closer to Easter; it is super exciting. As always, praying for you.
