Photo by...Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash
In my first year of high school, Australia converted to decimal currency and Simon and Garfunkel released the song, “I am a rock”. While everyone in Australia was working together to adjust to the new currency the song spoke of going it alone. “I am a rock. I am an island.”
It’s a sad song about being hurt and withdrawing into isolation in order to avoid any more pain.
We’ve had some experiences of isolation this year and depending on our nature we’ve either enjoyed or hated those times.
Our God is into community. God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit exist in a divine community of love and because we’re made in the image of God we’re also made for community.
The Christian faith in particular and life in general aren’t meant to be solo adventures. Even those with an introverted nature need others. We all need community.
Paul describes the community in terms of a body with many different and varied parts in Romans 12 and 1 Corinthians 12. The different parts of the body need each other and when they work together the body functions properly.
The beauty of this image and situation is found in the love and support we give and receive in the community. There are times when we desperately need the support of a loving community and there are times when we provide the support to members of the community.
This ‘strange’ year has highlighted the need for community. We need to care for each other and look out for each other.
It’s great to know God is always doing his best for us. It’s also clear our sisters and brothers are gifts from God. God often helps us through the community. God bless you with all the help you need and with all the strength you need to help others.
God is at work in the giving
by Josh Hauser
Click here to download your printable verse to carry with you today.
Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price (Isaiah 55:1b).
Read Isaiah 55:1–5
Isaiah 55 was written to people who had lost everything. The Jewish exiles in Babylon had watched their city burn, their temple fall, their identity as God’s people called into question. They had been living in a foreign land for decades, wondering if God had abandoned them.
Into that space, the prophet speaks in verse one: ‘Hear, everyone who thirsts; come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.’
As a sentence, it almost doesn’t make sense. Come to this place where you can buy food and eat for free! It’s almost like we are waiting for the catch: ‘Free food … right … and what do we have to do?’
We often carry that same mentality because we spend our time trying to earn things. We try to prove ourselves. We try to show that we are worthy of help, love or attention.
However, Isaiah’s words show us a different picture. God gives to people before anything is proven. God gives to those who arrive empty-handed. God speaks. God invites. God gives. In every act of giving, in every moment of grace, God is at work, meeting the needs of those who come empty-handed.
Martin Luther described how the psalms talk about our life as ‘simul justus et peccator’ – that we are both broken and beloved at the same time. In this truth, God meets people where they are and offers what they need, just as he did for the exiles in Isaiah 55. The ‘waters’ and ‘wine and milk’ would have carried deep meaning for them, gifts of life offered freely by God. People in an arid land, who knew thirst and scarcity, now heard promises of abundance and life. These promises find their fulfilment in Jesus when he proclaims, ‘I am the bread of life’, and ‘Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.’
The same God who called the exiles to come and eat now calls us. The same gift. The same open invitation. The same grace given to empty hands.
God is at work in the giving. And the gift is Jesus himself.
Dear God, we thank you for your generosity. Help us to see that you are at work in all the gifts we receive. Help us to show our thanks to you in our thoughts, words and deeds. Thank you for the greatest gift of all, Jesus. Amen.
Josh lives in the western suburbs of Melbourne with his wife, Alice, and their two children. Josh enjoys time with his family, the beach and sports of any kind. Josh works at a school, where he feels it is a privilege to share the gospel with the next generation.
God is at work in waiting
by Josh Hauser
Click here to download your printable verse to carry with you today.
Therefore the Lord waits to be gracious to you (Isaiah 30:18a).
Read Isaiah 30:18–26
Nobody likes waiting. Tell a young child to wait, and they may scream, shout and throw themselves on the floor. If we are honest with ourselves, we still do this as adults, just in more subtle ways. We live in a world where everything is becoming instant and on demand. Instant messages. Instant answers. Instant gratification.
When I order something online, I find myself checking the tracking nonstop. If I message my wife a question, I notice myself becoming unnecessarily impatient if it takes longer than a minute or two for an answer.
This kind of impatience is not new.
Just before our passage for today, the people of Israel were doing something very similar. Facing a crushing enemy, they did not want to wait for God’s promised rescue. Instead, they ran off to Egypt, striking a quick political deal for security. They were looking for their own instant answers.
Yet in verse 18, we hear the Lord’s response: ‘Therefore the Lord waits to be gracious to you; therefore, he will rise up to show mercy to you. For the Lord is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for him.’
Pause on that for a moment. God longs to bless his people because he is a gracious God, yet he waits. In Isaiah 30, the people are waiting because their own plans have failed. God is waiting for a different reason. God waits because he is gracious. The people have trusted the wrong powers and ignored God’s word, yet the Lord still promises to act.
Verse 19 assures the people that their crying will be heard. Verses 20 and 21 promise that even in hardship, God will teach and guide them. Verse 22 speaks of turning away from false trusts. Verses 23 to 26 describe healing, provision and restored joy. What follows their impatience should be punishment; instead, they find renewal.
God is at work in the waiting.
While we are throwing tantrums, God is at work. While we think we are wasting time, God is at work. While we are ‘doomscrolling’ on social media, God is at work. God’s waiting is purposeful.
And this begs the question, what are you waiting for right now? A breakthrough? A healing? A change? An answer? If you are, remember that in the waiting, God is at work. Right now.
Isaiah speaks of a God who hears the cries of his people, who teaches them the way to walk and who remains their healer and provider. These promises are spoken while the people are still waiting.
So, when waiting begins, it becomes a moment to turn toward God. To pray. To listen. To trust that he is near.
God is at work in the waiting.
Dear God, help us trust in the waiting. Help us believe that you’re working even when we can’t see it. Give us patience and peace while we wait. Thank you for being gracious, for meeting us in the hard seasons, for never forgetting us. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.
Josh lives in the western suburbs of Melbourne with his wife, Alice, and their two children. Josh enjoys time with his family, the beach and sports of any kind. Josh works at a school, where he feels it is a privilege to share the gospel with the next generation.
Where God is at work
by Josh Hauser
Click here to download your printable verse to carry with you today.
Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth (Matthew 5:5).
Read Matthew 5:1–12
With so much going on in the world, it is easy to start questioning, ‘Where is God working?’ This week, that is the question we want to start answering.
In the Bible reading for today, Jesus says in verse five, ‘Blessed are the meek.’
While scrolling social media recently, I came across a post about the word used to describe meekness. It talked about the word used in Scripture for meek, which is praus. It claimed that we are using the word all wrong. According to the post, praus was used to describe a trained warhorse, powerful but under control. This then changed the meaning of the verse to suggest that ‘Blessed are the meek’ really means blessed are those who control their power and submit it to God.
Isn’t this a demonstration of the human condition?
We discuss how much shackled power we have, rather than focusing on the Creator who gives strength. When we hear the word ‘meek’, we do not want to appear meek. We see it as a negative. So, people look at the word praus and try everything they can to avoid the reality of what Jesus is actually saying.
Unsurprisingly, in this famous passage known as the Beatitudes, Jesus is not saying that we have all the power and then graciously put it aside to follow God. Jesus is saying that the people who are meek, poor, mournful and persecuted are valued and looked after by God with his unending grace. This is where God is found. This is where God is at work.
God is found with those in need and those who are struggling. So, what does this mean for us?
Simply this: This is where we need to be found, too. With those who are struggling and needing care and support. Because, at some point in life, everyone feels meek, poor, sad, persecuted and in need of help.
Dear God, thank you for seeing us when the world overlooks us. Thank you for calling us blessed because we are yours. Help us to see others the way you do, so that we can be your hands and feet in this world. In your name, we pray. Amen.
Josh lives in the western suburbs of Melbourne with his wife, Alice, and their two children. Josh enjoys time with his family, the beach and sports of any kind. Josh works at a school, where he feels it is a privilege to share the gospel with the next generation.