Hear and Follow

Devotion by: Greg Maxwell

Isaiah 49:8-15

Thus says the LORD:
In a time of favour I have answered you,
on a day of salvation I have helped you;
I have kept you and given you
as a covenant to the people,
to establish the land,
to apportion the desolate heritages;
saying to the prisoners, ‘Come out’,
to those who are in darkness, ‘Show yourselves.’
They shall feed along the ways,
on all the bare heights shall be their pasture;
they shall not hunger or thirst,
neither scorching wind nor sun shall strike them down,
for he who has pity on them will lead them,
and by springs of water will guide them.
And I will turn all my mountains into a road,
and my highways shall be raised up.
Lo, these shall come from far away,
and lo, these from the north and from the west,
and these from the land of Syene.

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 suffering ones.

But Zion said, ‘The LORD has forsaken me,
my Lord has forgotten me.’
Can a woman forget her nursing-child,
or show no compassion for the child of her womb?
Even these may forget,
yet I will not forget you.

In the first verse, I am drawn to what the Lord says: “In a favorable time I have answered you.” It made me think of how often my human impatience gets in the way of listening for God’s answer to my prayers. It made me realize that God answers my prayers in a favorable time, but that time may not be in synch with my human perspective. To me, this passage reinforces that we must be patient and listen for God’s guidance.

We often get God’s guidance filtered through our sins or the trappings of our secular world. How often we lament, just like Isaiah and Zion did in verse 14, saying: “the LORD has forsaken me, and the Lord has forgotten me.” At times when the going gets rough and things don’t turn out the way we planned or hoped, how quick are we to make the same lamentation?

We must trust and have faith in Jesus Christ and his Lord our Father, for they have promised not to forsake us. They will not break their covenant with us. We must remember to be patient, try harder to listen to God’s guidance, trust Him, and remember all the deeds God has done for us. Then we need to rejoice in gratitude.

PRAYER: Oh God, we know in our hearts that you will never forsake us. Help us to be patient and listen intently for your guidance. We rejoice in you always and give thanks to the blessings you have given to us. During this time of Lent, we patiently await the celebration of Jesus Christ’s glorious resurrection. We hear you and will follow you, trusting in the salvation of your son, Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. Amen.