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The Road to Transformation
“Summer Sunset, Oil Painting” by Pobytov My first awakening to the spiritual life and to the Read More
Judy Skeen | Read Isaiah 40:27-31
Questions abound in Isaiah 40: Have you been paying attention? Who is like God? The questions continue in these verses: “Have you not known? Have you not heard?” In other words, how clearly do we see what is right in front of us?
The voice of Isaiah echoes the voice...
Compassionate God, when life rocks us and threatens to erase our memories of your good and faithful provision, grant us enough memory to know that you are with those who mourn, those whose hearts are broken, and those who turn to you for hope and meaning. Amen.
What is the ultimate source of our strength? All the authors for this week come to the same conclusion: True strength comes from the Lord. Isaiah asks his audience: Who is like God? God never grows weary and provides unfailing strength to those who wait for God. The psalmist praises God as the one who lifts up those who are beaten down. It is not those with human strength who are truly mighty but those empowered by God. In Corinthians, Paul states that he has laid down any form of his own strength so that the gospel may advance. Jesus heals many in Mark as a demonstration of his power over the physical world. Thus, God’s power is not just a metaphor but a reality.
• Read Isaiah 40:21-31. When has your focus on past events or ones yet to come caused an inability to perceive God’s work in the present?
• Read Psalm 147:1-11, 20c. What part of your life bears witness to humanity’s desire for winners and losers? How can you help others see God’s desire for wholeness?
• Read 1 Corinthians 9:16-23. What behaviors are you willing to take on or give up “for the sake of the gospel”?
• Read Mark 1:29-39. What intrigues you about the pattern of concealment and revelation in Jesus’ life that Mark’s Gospel portrays?
Respond by posting a prayer.
