Read the transcript from today's video devotional.
Isaiah 33 is spoken in this moment of instability for God's people. A lot of concern, probably anxiety. What happened was the nation of Judah had trusted in some shaky alliances, and that had not gone well. They found themselves in the middle of some trouble that they really didn't have any control over.
It's in that setting that we have a simple but powerful prayer here from Isaiah: "Oh God, be merciful to us. We wait for You."
A Place of Complete Dependence
This is that point where the people of God are brought to a place where they can no longer pretend to be self-sufficient. They are needy. They are desperate. They are dependent. The only thing left to do is to cry out to God for rescue and deliverance.
That should be very applicable to us as we're living our ordinary lives that are often plagued with trouble. I mean, we may not be standing underneath some military siege like Judah was, but we know what it's like to be burdened. We know what it's like to wake up in the morning and already be thinking about a heavy conversation that we need to have, or bills that need to be paid, or relationships that are not stable, or anxiety from the moment we get out of bed.
We know what it's like to be heavily burdened.
Faith, Not Manufactured Strength
What Isaiah 33, verse 2 teaches us is not to begin by just manufacturing or projecting some sort of strength that we actually don't have. It begins with faith, and that faith is a trusting in and a relying on God's strength. That's what this prayer is. It is a prayer of dependence on God.
Let me read something that John Bunyan said about prayer. He said, "Prayer is the opener of the heart of God, and a means by which the soul, though empty, is filled."
That's what Isaiah 33, verse 2 is. It is this bare cry to God. It's not some sort of polished religion. It is just this soul that feels empty, coming to God and asking God, pleading with God, for His strength.
A Different Rhythm
Many of you are going to be in a place today or tomorrow where you're going to be burdened. You're going to check messages. You're going to look at social media. You're going to read headlines. You're going to listen to the news. It won't take long before your day is going to get to a place where your mind is scattered and you're feeling weak, and then you're reacting to what's around you.
What this text does is it invites us into a very different rhythm where we're not reactive, but we're proactive. Before we get into trouble, we ask God: Be my strong arm. I need You, God. I need You to be my strength. Without it, I just can't do it.
Take This Verse In
Take this verse in. Maybe consider thinking about it and praying through it, even tomorrow morning when you face that start of the day again. Know that on that day, the Lord is not asking you to manufacture or project some kind of strength that you do not have.
His mercy is available to you. His strength is not delayed. His salvation is not uncertain. Cry out to Him the way Isaiah 33, verse 2 calls us to: "But LORD, be merciful to us, for we have waited for You. Be our strong arm each day, and our salvation in times of trouble."
