God’s Faithfulness to an Unfaithful People – Part II • 02.09.25
God’s Faithfulness to an Unfaithful People Pt II
Isaiah 44:1-28
Grasping the depth of God’s faithfulness to an idolatrous people
- Hear God’s promise of a future
- Contrast the folly of idolatry with the One, True God
- Join creation in rejoicing in God’s redemptive mercies
- Recognize God’s sovereignty expressed for his people’s benefit
Manuscript:
Good morning, church family! (Welcome guests + introduce self)
Dismiss 4th + 5th graders
Ushers + Bibles (Isaiah 44; page 717)
Ever since we began this study of Isaiah in January of 2024, we have been challenged with the reality that humans face judgment and need salvation. This is a theme woven throughout the narrative of the entire Bible, but it has been especially prevalent in Isaiah! After all, Isaiah was commissioned by God to confront the nation of Judah in their sinful idolatry. They had forsaken the One, True God to chase after other things that they believed would satisfy them. This was a blatant break of their covenant relationship with God that had begun in the days of Moses. Their sinful behavior in Isaiah’s day was certainly not the beginning of their idol worship… oh no, that had begun soon after escaping Egypt at the foot of Mount Sinai, when they formed the golden calf. And even though they had seasons of faithfulness to God, the Israelites/Judeans were repeatedly tempted to turn aside to worship the pagan idols of the nations around them.
As we’ve seen and heard through our study in Isaiah, this was a very foolish way to live. Idols are blind, deaf, and dumb and cannot provide anything for anyone. As we’ll be reminded today, idols require humans to fashion them!
How can something that is dependent on humans to exist possibly serve as a god who sustains us?! To live this way demonstrates the foolish way of thinking and living that comes from idolatry. And, sadly, this is what the nation of Judah had succumbed to, leading them to be disciplined by God as he brought the Babylonians upon them to conquer them and take them into exile for 70 years.
Thankfully, God did not give up on his people while they were stuck in their sinful idolatry! As we heard last week, he is a faithful God, even when his people are unfaithful. And that is what we will continue to see and hear today. You see, throughout the book of Isaiah, alongside the theme of God’s judgment for sin is the twin theme of God’s salvation. He is the God who judges AND saves! The promised hope of this book is the incomparably great God who loves his people even when they are unworthy! As Pastor Mark Dever puts it, “This book is all about God’s love for his people, not our love for him. This is where our hope is found! That he loves us.”
We’ve witnessed this love of God over the previous chapters. It has been on display as he exposes the folly of idolatry and calls them to repent. It is on display as he reveals himself in all his incomparable might and glory. It is on display as he reminds Judah of his work in their lives and promises to continue to lavish mercy and grace upon them.
I want to encourage you to see and hear the similarities between the struggles of the people in Isaiah’s day and us today. Though we are separated by thousands of years and vastly different cultures, their struggle is our struggle. We continue to wrestle with idolatry – putting something or someone in the place of God, expecting it to provide what only God can provide – and we need God’s patient faithfulness expressed towards us.
Please do not grow weary of hearing about idolatry and God’s incomparable greatness! These truths we are studying week after week are the bedrock for our faith/lives. If you can understand the human struggle as revealed in Isaiah, you will find great advantage for your own walk with God. It will cultivate humility and, I hope, a lifestyle of faith and repentance in you!
So, with that in mind, we turn our attention to Isaiah 44. And our goal today is the same as it was last week…
Grasping the depth of God’s faithfulness to an idolatrous people
Let’s read the start of this text now.
Isaiah 44:1–5 (ESV)
“But now hear, O Jacob my servant,
Israel whom I have chosen!
2 Thus says the Lord who made you,
who formed you from the womb and will help you:
Fear not, O Jacob my servant,
Jeshurun whom I have chosen.
3 For I will pour water on the thirsty land,
and streams on the dry ground;
I will pour my Spirit upon your offspring,
and my blessing on your descendants.
4 They shall spring up among the grass
like willows by flowing streams.
5 This one will say, ‘I am the Lord’s,’
another will call on the name of Jacob,
and another will write on his hand, ‘The Lord’s,’
and name himself by the name of Israel.”
Did you notice how much it mirrors the way chapter 43 began? “But now” – we have another interjection by the Lord after he had spoken some hard words. Even as God reminds them of their former sins and the required judgment, he also provides a beautiful reminder of hope for the future!
He calls them to “hear” and then provides words of comfort – “O Jacob my servant, Israel whom I have chosen!” “Thus says the LORD who made you, who formed you from the womb and will help you: Fear not, O Jacob my servant, Jershurun whom I have chosen.” Try to imagine hearing these words from your Creator! They are words of comfort, words of reassurance. God is reminding them that He is intimately connected to them. They were made by him, chosen by him, called to serve him, and had the assurance of his help! Even the title “Jeshurun” is a name of affection reminding them of their calling to walk uprightly.
Why would God take the time to reiterate these wonderful truths? These are further reminders of his identity and his promises to his people! He wants them to be comforted by these realities, even as they struggle in exile under his discipline for their sin!
Think about this… Surely you know how hard it can be to think rightly about God, especially when you are undergoing a trial! This is compounded even further if you are being led astray by idolatry! You can’t think clearly. You are tempted to believe lies about many things, including God! So, it is a mercy of God when he reminds you of who He is and WHOSE you are. When you are confronted with the truth, it washes over you and helps you to see and think clearly again. That is what God is doing for the Judeans, and it is a wonderful thing!
As we unpack these verses, we continue to grasp the depth of God’s faithfulness to an idolatrous people as we…
- Hear God’s promise of a future
In verses 1-2, God has certainly reminded them WHOSE they are… They are his chosen people, and he will help them! In verses 3-5, he elaborates on how he will help them.
Once again God promises to use his creative power to transform the land. He will provide water and streams in the desert places. But his provision does not stop at meeting physical needs, God also promises to provide for their spiritual needs. “I will pour my Spirit upon your offspring, and my blessing on your descendants.”
There is a future for Judah! Consider how life-giving this would have been to them… They are in exile in a foreign land as discipline by God’s hand for their sinful rebellion. Their capital city was left in ruins, their temple plundered and burnt to the ground… They were demoralized and defeated people! But into that hopelessness comes God’s promise of a future! “They shall spring up among the grass like willows by flowing streams. This one will say, ‘I am the LORD’s’, another will call on the name of Jacob, and another will write on his hand, ‘The LORD’s’, and name himself by the name of Israel.”
As we’ve learned through this series, when God makes a promise, he keeps it. This promise of a future for the nation would have been incredibly life-giving and hopeful for them! They would not remain under God’s discipline forever, nor had he given up on them as a people. The way God speaks about their descendants embracing their identity as God’s people had to be exciting to the exiles. “God hasn’t forgotten us forever! We have hope and a future! He will keep the covenant alive!”
Consider what this promise of a future for Judah has meant for humanity throughout the ages… The Messiah comes from the tribe of Judah. The preservation of Judah was necessary for the fulfillment of God’s covenant with King David to provide a King who would reign forever on his throne. Which means this promise of a future for Judah also means a promise of a future for the nations (Gentiles) who recognize Jesus as the Messiah and place their faith in him! Our hope is tied up in their hope. We can be included in the people of God because God is faithful to promise and provide a future for Judah! “Thank you, LORD, for your faithfulness!”
Praise God for his faithfulness to Judah and to us. Let’s keep reading in the text to see more of his faithfulness.
Isaiah 44:6–20 (ESV)
6 Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel
and his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts:
“I am the first and I am the last;
besides me there is no god.
7 Who is like me? Let him proclaim it.
Let him declare and set it before me,
since I appointed an ancient people.
Let them declare what is to come, and what will happen.
8 Fear not, nor be afraid;
have I not told you from of old and declared it?
And you are my witnesses!
Is there a God besides me?
There is no Rock; I know not any.”
9 All who fashion idols are nothing, and the things they delight in do not profit. Their witnesses neither see nor know, that they may be put to shame. 10 Who fashions a god or casts an idol that is profitable for nothing? 11 Behold, all his companions shall be put to shame, and the craftsmen are only human. Let them all assemble, let them stand forth. They shall be terrified; they shall be put to shame together.
12 The ironsmith takes a cutting tool and works it over the coals. He fashions it with hammers and works it with his strong arm. He becomes hungry, and his strength fails; he drinks no water and is faint. 13 The carpenter stretches a line; he marks it out with a pencil. He shapes it with planes and marks it with a compass. He shapes it into the figure of a man, with the beauty of a man, to dwell in a house. 14 He cuts down cedars, or he chooses a cypress tree or an oak and lets it grow strong among the trees of the forest. He plants a cedar and the rain nourishes it. 15 Then it becomes fuel for a man. He takes a part of it and warms himself; he kindles a fire and bakes bread. Also he makes a god and worships it; he makes it an idol and falls down before it. 16 Half of it he burns in the fire. Over the half he eats meat; he roasts it and is satisfied. Also he warms himself and says, “Aha, I am warm, I have seen the fire!” 17 And the rest of it he makes into a god, his idol, and falls down to it and worships it. He prays to it and says, “Deliver me, for you are my god!”
18 They know not, nor do they discern, for he has shut their eyes, so that they cannot see, and their hearts, so that they cannot understand. 19 No one considers, nor is there knowledge or discernment to say, “Half of it I burned in the fire; I also baked bread on its coals; I roasted meat and have eaten. And shall I make the rest of it an abomination? Shall I fall down before a block of wood?” 20 He feeds on ashes; a deluded heart has led him astray, and he cannot deliver himself or say, “Is there not a lie in my right hand?”
This section is fascinating as you get Isaiah’s perspective on the idol-makers and the people who bow down to worship them. When contrasted to the LORD as revealed in verses 6-8, they truly are engaged in folly of the greatest degree!
In verses 6-8, the LORD is once again identified as the King of Israel, their Redeemer, the Lord of hosts. He is the one and only God. There has never been a god before him, nor will there be any god after him. God then launches into a series of rhetorical questions intended to get their attention.
- Who is like me?
- Have I not told you from of old and declared it?
- Is there a God besides me?
The expected answers are that there is no one like God; yes, he has foretold it; and no, he is the One, True God! These idols cannot talk let alone declare the future ahead of time! The Judeans can have complete confidence and trust in their God because he has foretold what will happen and they are living witnesses to its truthfulness! They were living in the fulfillment of God’s promises to King Hezekiah. Truly there is no God, no Rock, besides Yahweh. And because these things are true, they did not have to live in fear, even while in exile! They are the people of the One, True God who is working out his divine purposes in them.
Can you imagine how life-changing it would be to grasp this reality? For the Judeans, knowing that they were God’s people should have given them great comfort and confidence to live for him in exile. Even though their circumstances were not what they desired, they could rest in God’s sovereign and good plan for their lives. Even the reminder that he is the Rock was an opportunity to remember to trust him, as this title was taught by Moses to their ancestors after the Exodus:
Deuteronomy 32:4 (ESV)
4 “The Rock, his work is perfect,
for all his ways are justice.
A God of faithfulness and without iniquity,
just and upright is he.
Would they believe that his work is perfect or not? Are all his ways justice or not? Is he a God of faithfulness and without iniquity or not?
Are you connecting the dots here? If they believe the truth about God, as revealed by him throughout history and in the pages of Scripture, then they have every reason to have hope and peace, to not be afraid, even in the hardest circumstances they had known in their lifetime!
And so can you, if your faith is in him! Our God is the same today as he was back then. And that can give us great comfort and hope and peace in our time of need. But we must learn to turn to him and trust him, even or especially when life is hard!
- The Rock, his work is perfect… all his ways are justice…. A God of faithfulness and without iniquity…
- Even when I get that diagnosis…
- Even when my loved one hurts me deeply…
- Even when I lose my job…
- Even when I feel like I’m all alone…
- Even when I’m overwhelmed by my circumstances…
He is the One, True God who sustains and provides for his people in all things! Whereas idols can do nothing, God is faithful to provide all that we need for life and godliness.
Verses 9-20 go on to contrast this incredibly faithful and perfect God with the folly of idolatry. And from this we grasp the depth of God’s faithfulness to an idolatrous people as we…
- Contrast the folly of idolatry with the One, True God
We’ve already heard several reasons idolatry is foolish…
- Idolatry is foolish because he is the only god
- Idolatry is foolish because only God declares what is to come
- Idolatry is foolish because He is the Rock, the One, True God
Now, Isaiah puts the folly of idolatry on full display as he surveys their actual activities. They are busy fashioning wood into their idols. In an intentional twist of irony, the word translated fashion here is the same word translated formed earlier in the chapter when God said that he formed them. This is intentional wordplay to reveal the truth about idolatry…
- Idolatry is foolish because God forms man, but idols must be fashioned/formed by them
Who in their right mind would ever grab a large piece of wood, cut it in half to use for fuel for your fireplace at home, and then give the other half to the craftsmen to make into a god for you to bow down and worship? This seems ludicrous to us as we read it, but the truth is that MANY people in the nation were doing this and had been for quite some time! There were whole industries built to support their demand for idols…
Surely that is an out-dated notion that doesn’t exist in our sophisticated, modern day and age, right? *pause*
Have you heard of a little company called Amazon that has taken over the world and can ship you your heart’s desire in 48 hours or less?
Are you aware that the porn industry is a multi-billion dollar industry (2023 estimates between $58-287 billion)?
Have you noticed the emphasis on personal autonomy and expressive-individualism in our culture? (“Be your authentic/true self” | “Your truth”)
Are you aware of how addictive your smartphones and those apps are intended to be? (They intentionally study how to engage the brain with dopamine hits, so you want to keep scrolling!)
These are all vehicles of idolatry! Worshiping and living for something or someone other than the One, True God. Sure, we may not chop down a tree and carve it into the shape of a man, but we are more than content to spend hours of our day scrolling on our phones in worship, idolizing the latest gadgets in worship, fantasizing about being as successful or popular or attractive as those social media influencers or business executives or celebrities…
The temptation and folly of idolatry is still alive and well in our day today. These lessons for Isaiah’s audience are still incredibly relevant for us. Each of us must learn to identify and uproot our own idols. Every single one of us is tempted to put our hopes or trust in people or things other than the One, True God. And wherever that happens in your life, you have a functional idol that must be dethroned. Because leaving it in place is disastrous! Allow me to show you why as we progress through this passage.
Notice the focus on deliverance/redemption… They desire deliverance from their hard life, but they turn to the wrong places for it! Only God is their Redeemer!
- Idolatry is foolish because only God can deliver/redeem
These foolish people have failed to understand that their idols can never rise above their creators. And if the creators are finite, limited people who grow weak and weary, then their idols will do no better. In fact, as outside observers, we can obviously see and understand that these blocks of wood are incapable of providing anything at all! They are literally blind, deaf, and dumb (mute).
And the result of bowing down and worshiping such blind, deaf, and dumb idols is that they become like them…
- Idolatry is foolish because it leads you to become blind, deaf, and dumb
This reality is confirmed in another passage of Scripture, Psalm 115:
Psalm 115:4–8 (ESV)
4 Their idols are silver and gold,
the work of human hands.
5 They have mouths, but do not speak;
eyes, but do not see.
6 They have ears, but do not hear;
noses, but do not smell.
7 They have hands, but do not feel;
feet, but do not walk;
and they do not make a sound in their throat.
8 Those who make them become like them;
so do all who trust in them.
This is the disastrous outcome I was speaking of. When you allow an idol to rule your heart and life, then you will inevitably reap the consequences of spiritual apathy and enslavement! Yes, you heard that right, enslavement. Idolaters have become enslaved to the idols they worship.
- Idolatry is foolish because it enslaves you to your idol, rather than to the One, True God
Right after this section, in verse 21, the phrase “my servant” is used twice in quick succession to describe the people. This is intentional to remind them WHOSE they are. They are God’s servant (Hebrew: ebed) which also translates as slave. The point being that everyone is a servant/slave to someone/something. Either you are God’s servant/slave and are following his will/ways to the good life, or you are serving/enslaved to your idol and following it to spiritual death. That idol cannot deliver you physically or spiritually, so the obvious result will be death.
- Consider the outcome of a person who is enslaved to their phone… or pornography… or the approval of others… or success… Where does that lead them? What does it produce in their lives? Spiritual, and, if taken to extremes, physical death. *pause*
Has God made the point clear enough in this section of Isaiah? He alone delivers. He alone redeems. It is time for the Judeans and us to recognize the absolute folly/madness of trusting idols. See how enslaving they are… They demand everything from you, and they give you nothing in return. They promise life but deliver death.
I know we have many in this room who would be able to stand up and testify to this reality. The beauty of the church is that we are not filled with perfect people. We are filled with sinners who have been redeemed by a perfect Savior, God’s Son. It is by grace we have been saved, through faith in Jesus Christ, and this is not our own doing but a gift of God. Yet before our salvation we were each enslaved to something/someone other than God. For some it was the approval of others. For others it was vanity or pleasure or control or ease. Before faith in Jesus Christ, we are all living for someone/something else. Even after faith in Jesus, though our slavery to that idol(s) are broken, we often still willingly return to it… Deceived into thinking that it might now somehow provide what we desire.
That explains how a Christian can fall again into temptation. Yet we must not remain there. We must avail ourselves of the deliverance and redemption that God provides! Whether you are a Christian or not, our hope is in the same person – Jesus, the Son of God. Each one of us must confess that our idolatry is foolish and sinful and turn to the One, True God in faith and repentance. This is the answer for Judah, and it is the answer for us today.
This is what God reminds them of next in the text.
Isaiah 44:21–23 (ESV)
21 Remember these things, O Jacob,
and Israel, for you are my servant;
I formed you; you are my servant;
O Israel, you will not be forgotten by me.
22 I have blotted out your transgressions like a cloud
and your sins like mist;
return to me, for I have redeemed you.
23 Sing, O heavens, for the Lord has done it;
shout, O depths of the earth;
break forth into singing, O mountains,
O forest, and every tree in it!
For the Lord has redeemed Jacob,
and will be glorified in Israel.
Remember these things – the truth about idols and the truth about God. Just as he formed Judah and does not forget them, so he formed us and does not forget us. Just as he blotted out their transgressions/sins, so he does for all who turn to him in faith.
Titus 3:3–7 (ESV)
3 For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another. 4 But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, 5 he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy,
by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, 6 whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
Remember these things! Believe in them! Rejoice in them!
Psalm 103:10–12 (ESV)
10 He does not deal with us according to our sins,
nor repay us according to our iniquities.
11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him;
12 as far as the east is from the west,
so far does he remove our transgressions from us.
What great news! These passages are reminders of the character and nature of our God. Through faith in Jesus Christ, we can have the forgiveness of our sins and redemption of our souls. The call to Israel was to return to God and the call for us today is to return to God! There is no one more worthy of your worship and allegiance!
These realities we are studying this morning are so wonderful that the heavens and the earth are commanded to join in singing about them! All of creation rejoices at the redemptive work of God! Though his people had forgotten him, he had not forgotten them. He is the FAITHFUL God.
In our continued efforts to grasp God’s faithfulness to an idolatrous people, we must…
- Join creation in rejoicing in God’s redemptive mercies
God provides physical and spiritual redemption to his people and that is worthy of our praise! The people must remember WHOSE they are and what God has done and thereby return to him. There is no other worthy of their worship, no other able to save.
And the entire created order bursts into singing because it benefits from God’s redemption of his people. Sin has far-reaching consequences not limited to humanity. For example, in their day idolatry led them to cut down the trees to make idols. Guess what happens when idolatry ceases? Trees remain standing and singing to God!
Listen to how Paul speaks about this in Romans 8:
Romans 8:18–21 (ESV)
18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. 19 For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. 20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God.
Sin has corrupted so much! And the rest of creation longs for the day when it is set free from bondage to corruption. It longs to share in glory! How incredible is that?! God has made an amazing universe.
If the heavens and the earth are being summoned to rejoice in God’s redemptive mercies as secondary beneficiaries, then don’t you think humans, as the primary beneficiaries ought to rejoice even more?! So, as you go about your day, as we close out in a final song after the sermon, lift your voices in praise to the LORD of heaven and earth, our Redeemer.
If you have not recognized him as your Redeemer, then your first step in worshiping him is to bow the knee in humble submission and faith. Confess your sin and ask him to redeem you! And then lift your voice in singing with us.
But, before we sing, we still have another opportunity to grasp the depth of God’s faithfulness. Let’s finish reading verses 24-28.
Isaiah 44:24–28 (ESV)
24 Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer,
who formed you from the womb:
“I am the Lord, who made all things,
who alone stretched out the heavens,
who spread out the earth by myself,
25 who frustrates the signs of liars
and makes fools of diviners,
who turns wise men back
and makes their knowledge foolish,
26 who confirms the word of his servant
and fulfills the counsel of his messengers,
who says of Jerusalem, ‘She shall be inhabited,’
and of the cities of Judah, ‘They shall be built,
and I will raise up their ruins’;
27 who says to the deep, ‘Be dry;
I will dry up your rivers’;
28 who says of Cyrus, ‘He is my shepherd,
and he shall fulfill all my purpose’;
saying of Jerusalem, ‘She shall be built,’
and of the temple, ‘Your foundation shall be laid.’ ”
As we finish this chapter, we grasp the depth of God’s faithfulness as we…
- Recognize God’s sovereignty expressed for his people’s benefit
In the final section of this chapter, which also continues into the coming chapters, God reveals his power on display in all things. Not only is he their Redeemer and Creator, he is the one who made ALL things. He is greater than liars, diviners, and wise men and thwarts their aims. Mere men cannot oppose God’s plans successfully.
In fact, God carries out the words of his servants/messengers. As we’ve said before, “What God promises, he fulfills.” And these are not small things listed here! It includes the rebuilding of the cities of Judah, the repopulation of their capital, Jerusalem, the repair to its walls, and the laying of the temple’s foundation! Even the direction of a pagan king is for his people’s benefit!
God’s purpose will be done. None can oppose it. No one can thwart it. And his will is to do good to his people for his own glory! This is meant to be a great comfort to Isaiah’s audience. And frankly, it ought to still be a great comfort to God’s people in our day!
As we talked about last week, our God is unchanging in character and purpose. He is still expressing his sovereignty for his people’s benefit! The clearest example of this is found in the sending of His Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus came and lived a sinless life in our place and died on the Cross for our sins, so that he could bear the wrath of God meant for us.
This is exactly what Jesus claimed:
Mark 10:45 (ESV)
45 For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
And helped his disciples understand following his resurrection:
Luke 24:45–47 (ESV)
45 Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, 46 and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, 47 and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.
What seemed like the darkest moment in world history, the crucifixion of the Son of God on the Cross, was the outworking of God’s sovereignty to make many righteous, just as it was foretold in the book of Isaiah…
Isaiah 53:10–11 (ESV)
10 Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him;
he has put him to grief;
when his soul makes an offering for guilt,
he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days;
the will of the Lord shall prosper in his hand.
11 Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied;
by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant,
make many to be accounted righteous,
and he shall bear their iniquities.
I don’t know what everyone here is going through right now, but I do know this, God sent His Son to make a way of salvation for his people. The Redeemer of Israel revealed that he is also the Redeemer of the nations. We can have confidence in our forgiveness and salvation through faith in Jesus Christ. There is no reason for any man or woman or boy or girl to leave here today uncertain of where they stand with God. He has been faithful towards us; will you respond in faith in Him? My prayer is that if you have never recognized your need for a Savior that today would be the day you confess your sins and ask Jesus Christ to forgive and save you. That today would be the day you commit to following Jesus for the rest of your life! You won’t regret that decision, I promise you that.
For those who are in Christ, my prayer for you and for me is that we would be invigorated by this study of God’s faithfulness! May we grasp to greater depths the majesty of our God and may that motivate us to joyfully follow Him this week. Where we have been overwhelmed and discouraged by the circumstances of life, may we trust God is at work for our good and his glory. Where we have been disobedient, may we be quick to confess and turn from it. Where we have been playing with idols, may we forsake them and return to him. Where we have been believing lies instead of the truth, may we dive into his word and allow it to wash freshly over us. May it be our joy and delight to share the Good News of Jesus Christ with all we encounter this week. May we carry ourselves with great hope at the eternal life that is to come. May our joy be contagious and unshakeable, because it is in the LORD, even if life is hard.
Let’s pray.
Pray