Isaiah 52:13, Acts 2:33 See, my servant will prosper; he will be highly exalted. … Now Jesus is exalted to the place of highest honor in heaven, at God’s right hand.
When Jesus appeared in human form,
he humbled himself in obedience to God
and died a criminal’s death on a cross.
Therefore, God exalted him to the place of highest honor
and gave him the name above all other names,
that at the name of Jesus …
every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,
Isaiah 40:8, 21; John 1:14 The Word of our God stands forever. … Haven’t you heard? Don’t you understand? Are you deaf to the Word of God—the Word he gave before the world began? … The Word became human and made his home among us, full of unfailing love and faithfulness.
In the beginning, the Word already existed.
The Word was with God, and the Word was God.
He existed in the beginning with God.
God created everything through him, and nothing was created except through him.
The Word gave life to everything that was created, and his life brought life to everyone.
The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it.
Isaiah 41:10, Colossians 1:16-17 Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. … I will strengthen you and help you. I will uphold you with my victorious right hand. … Everything was created through Christ and for him. He existed before anything else, and he holds all creation together.
It’s an interesting juxtaposition, considering Jesus as the Upholder and sustainer of all creation and of our individual lives just as we remember his decision to confine himself to a woman’s womb, to take on all that it means to be human, to limit himself to time and space, to choose dependence on imperfect parents. This mystery, I think, can only be addressed through poetry.
Descent, by Luci Shaw
Down he came from up, and in from out, and here from there. A long leap, an incandescent fall from magnificent to naked, frail, small, through space, between stars, into our chill night air, shrunk, in infant grace, to our damp, cramped earthy place among all the shivering sheep.
Isaiah 11:5, 16:5, Revelation 19:11 (John 17:19) The Branch will wear righteousness like a belt and truth like an undergarment. … He will rule with mercy and truth. … [Jesus] was named Faithful and True.
Jesus can only speak truth. Because that’s who he is (John 14:6).
Our enemy, the devil, can only speak lies. Because that’s who he is (John 8:44).
Holy Spirit, give us the discernment to listen to the right voice (John 14:17).
[Jesus said] Dig deep and lay your foundation on solid rock (Luke 6:48, Isaiah 28:16).
Isaiah 40:11 (49:9-10) The Lord will feed his flock like a shepherd. He will carry the lambs in his arms, holding them close to his heart. He will gently lead the mother sheep with their young.
Karis was ten. We were in Detroit for surgery on her intestine. The rest of our family was at home in São Paulo, Brazil. (I learned later that eight-year-old Rachel had started a fire in the kitchen trying to cook for her siblings while Dave was out. A neighbor “happened” by, put out the fire, took my children to her house to feed them, and later had words with their father. But that’s another story…)
Before she was taken through the double doors into the surgery suite, I overheard Karis tell a new friend at the hospital that she wasn’t afraid, for herself or for me, because of Isaiah 40:11. The Holy Spirit shot that assurance straight into my heart, puncturing an expanding balloon of worry. Every time I hear Jesus referred to as Shepherd, I flash back to that precious moment.
Our Brazilian friend Roseli painted this for Rachel.
Turn to your Shepherd, the Guardian of your souls … The Lamb on the throne will be your Shepherd. He will lead you to springs of life-giving water and wipe every tear from your eyes (1 Peter 2:25, Revelation 7:17).
Isaiah 9:6-7, Romans 9:5 (Isaiah 32:16, 40:10, 51:6, 60:17-18, Matthew 2:6, Ephesians 1:21-22) The government will rest on his shoulders. … His government and its peace will never end. He will rule with fairness and justice from the throne of his ancestor David for all eternity. … Christ is God, the one who rules over everything and is worthy of eternal praise! Amen.
Jesus’s entire life as recorded in the Gospels shows us his authority: over illness, death, the wind and waves, the enemy, Satan (who is called the ruler of this world), the traditions of people, and on and on. In his last conversation with his followers he said, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth” (Matthew 28:18). He didn’t then say, “Now destroy the Romans.” He said, “teach everyone to obey the commands I have given you,” chief among them the command to love (John 13:34-35).
I think it’s easy to forget that Jesus’s Kingdom is not of this world. He wants to rule our hearts. He said, “The Kingdom of God is within you” (Luke 17:21). He told Pilate, “My Kingdom is not an earthly kingdom. If it were, my followers would fight …” Paul wrote, “The Kingdom of God … is living a life of goodness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.”
Jesus also said the Kingdom belongs to those who are like children (Matthew 19:14), so for fun on this first day of winter, let’s listen to a children’s song.
Isaiah 28:12, 30:15 (Mark 6:31) God has told his people, “Here is a place of rest; let the weary rest here. This is a place of quiet rest. … Only in returning to me and resting in me will you be saved. In quietness and confidence is your strength.”
During Elijah’s struggle with anger and depression, three violent events drove the prophet into a cave on Mt. Sinai: a mighty windstorm, an earthquake, and fire. After that God spoke to Elijah in a still, small voice (1 Kings 19). This story has inspired dozens of artists, famous and less well known. This is one of the latter. Interesting that Elijah had to face so much before he was able to hear God speak to him. And it’s interesting that through the entire period of his suffering, God was present with him and caring for him.
Do you take time to access the Quiet Place, God’s heart, so you can hear him speak to you?
In these tumultuous and busy days, taking time to be still and rest in his strength and sovereignty and wisdom and grace, and receive his quiet direction, is more important than ever.
Isaiah 9:6 For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
I’m thinking of Jesus bringing peace in two contexts today. Remember Simon and Garfunkel’s song “7 O’Clock News”? It was released in 1966. Have we made any progress since then? Any efforts I can make toward peace in the world, like joining the “Stop the War” demonstration in Pittsburgh this afternoon, seem so tiny. Yet I can join you and you can join me in praying for men to open their hearts to the Prince of Peace.
Isaiah 25:9 (Isaiah 46:3-4, Malachi 4:2, Romans 5:10-11, Hebrews 4:15, 16, 2 Peter 1:1) In that day the people will proclaim, “This is our God! We trusted in him, and he saved us! This is the Lord, in whom we trusted. Let us rejoice in the salvation he brings.”
Trust isn’t easy, especially when we’ve been betrayed. When someone we have trusted has not just disappointed us, but has deliberately hurt us for their own ends. Because the Three-in-One God understands this, Jesus came, to experience in a body what betrayal is. That’s why we can go to him to find mercy and grace in our time of need. This is our God, not a being far off, but one who draws near, in compassion and full understanding. With healing in his wings.
Isaiah 33:21, 24 (Ephesians 1:19-20, Hebrews 1:3) The Lord will be our Mighty One. He will be like a wide river of protection that no enemy can cross, that no ship can sail upon.
Jesus’s love would mean less uncoupled from his power to act on behalf of his beloved, and his authority over everything in heaven and on earth (Matthew 28:18). Listen to the author of Hebrews: The Son radiates God’s own glory and expresses the very character of God, and he sustains everything by the mighty power of his command (1:3).
I need this word today, as I grapple with the severity of my brother-in-law Bill’s injuries from being hit by a car while riding his bike. Only the Lord has the power to sustain Bill and his family against the enemies of despair, anxiety, and depression. Please pray with us for Jesus’s mighty power to prevail against these enemies. Thank you.
Bill’s first check-up x-rays yesterday, two weeks after surgery to insert a rod to secure the two fragments of his tibia considered worth trying to save.This is a guy who normally rides his bike 15-30 miles daily.His left foot also suffered several broken bones.
In what way today do you need to see Jesus’s power at work?
When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you. For I am the Holy One, your Savior. … Do not be afraid, for I am with you (Isaiah 43:2-5).
Debra Kornfield 