Fri.’s Devo - Power in Humility

Read: Isaiah 8:1-9:21; 2 Corinthians 12:1-10; Psalm 55:1-23; Proverbs 23:4-5 God told Isaiah to make a big sign and write one word on it - ‘Maher-shalal-hash-baz’. All those words together mean ‘swift to plunder and quick to carry away’. It was code for ‘the Assyrians are coming and they are going to quickly plunder our country and carry us away’. He asked the priests, Uriah and Zechariah to witness him putting up the sign because he wanted them to know who had put it there and that it was a word from God. I can only guess that the opposers took down the sign when they figured it out. Then, Isaiah went home and he and his wife became pregnant. They had a son and named him the name on the sign to be a living reminder. Isaiah told the people that before his son would be able to talk, the Assyrians would come and plunder the nation and take them away captive. Nothing they could do would save them now because God was doing this through the Assyrians because Israel had rejected his care. He told them that is was God’s holy Army that they should fear even more than the Assyrians. Destruction was inevitable, but God had a plan for rebuilding and restoring after he had torn down. Isaiah spoke of the Savior being born who would be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. He would be a fair and just king whose kingdom would last forever. For then, God was going to destroy everyone from the leaders of Israel to the lying prophets because both had misled Israel into sin and darkness. There will be no mercy for the youth, the widows or the orphans because they had all turned from Him. Because they were dead branches, they would burn fast and thoroughly. It was not a pretty picture for Israel. Paul hated to boast about his relationship and the encounters he had had with the Lord, he wanted them to know about them because they qualified him to have their respect. He spoke of the thorn in his flesh that kept him humble. I don’t know if this was an infirmity, a temptation or a person but God kept assuring him that His grace was sufficient to help him. God’s power works greatest in our weakness. When we are weak, God is very strong. Lord, help us to be like Paul who took pleasure in is weaknesses and trials realizing they were working a good work in him. Lord, may your power work through our weaknesses to do your work on the earth.