Vision: Day 5

Devotion by: Gloria Rossbach

Isaiah 49:18-21

Lift up your eyes all around and see;
they all gather, they come to you.
As I live, says the Lord,
you shall put all of them on like an ornament,
and like a bride you shall bind them on.

Surely your waste and your desolate places
and your devastated land—
surely now you will be too crowded for your inhabitants,
and those who swallowed you up will be far away.
The children born in the time of your bereavement
will yet say in your hearing:
‘The place is too crowded for me;
make room for me to settle.’
Then you will say in your heart,
‘Who has borne me these?
I was bereaved and barren,
exiled and put away—
so who has reared these?
I was left all alone—
where then have these come from?’

As a teacher I often wonder about former students: where they are, what they’re doing, what further education they may have pursued. I know I had a vision for my career as an educator: it was to be the best that I could be and reach out and help as many children as possible and make them lifelong readers. It’s a vision/goal I had when I began my career and one that I continue to have.

Recently I received an email from a student that I had in second grade twenty years ago. She was living in Austin, Texas and had been thinking about her worldview and how books and reading had impacted her life. She felt compelled to search for my address to let me know that she credited me with having taught her to read and given her a love of reading and books and that both had helped to inform her thinking and to inspire her to major in English and begin a career working with at-risk students.

The book of Isaiah (my favorite Old Testament book) is full of visions. The first half of the book deals with the people and their sins, and the judgment that will be given to them. But the second half of the book becomes one of redemption and forgiveness. God continues to love his people in spite of the many times they fail to do what they are meant to do and they are frequently unfaithful.

In the verses of chapter 49 the people are discouraged even though they have returned from exile. The city is in ruins, but they are assured that God has not forgotten them. The vision that Isaiah describes is that God has great love for the city and its citizens. The people would see their city restored and people from many nations would come in such great numbers that the city would not be able to house them all. Their faith is alive and well and will sustain them.

PRAYER: Lord, we are grateful for your goodness and care of us. We know that we are not always focused on your vision for our lives and we beg your patience for our failures. We are thankful that your grace and forgiveness are constant and within our reach. Please help us to know the vision your have for us. We pray that through our daily conversations with you we will be able to follow the path to that vision. Amen.