You Are My God

Lord, you are my God; I will exalt you and praise your name, for in perfect faithfulness you have done wonderful things, things planned long ago.

You have made the city a heap of rubble, the fortified town a ruin, the foreigners’ stronghold a city no more; it will never be rebuilt.

Therefore strong peoples will honor you; cities of ruthless nations will revere you.

You have been a refuge for the poor, a refuge for the needy in their distress, a shelter from the storm and a shade from the heat.

For the breath of the ruthless is like a storm driving against a wall and like the heat of the desert. You silence the uproar of foreigners; as heat is reduced by the shadow of a cloud, so the song of the ruthless is stilled.

On this mountain the Lord Almighty will prepare a feast of rich food for all peoples, a banquet of aged wine—the best of meats and the finest of wines.

On this mountain he will destroy the shroud that enfolds all peoples, the sheet that covers all nations; he will swallow up death forever.

The Sovereign Lord will wipe away the tears from all faces; he will remove his people’s disgrace from all the earth. The Lord has spoken.

In that day they will say, “Surely this is our God; we trusted in him, and he saved us. This is the Lord, we trusted in him; let us rejoice and be glad in his salvation.”

Isaiah 25:1-9

What keeps our faith strong is the secure knowledge that God will not only fulfill His promises in His time, but will also sustain us until that happens. This was the same hope that God’s people had as they waited for Him to complete His plans, deliver them from their enemies, wipe away their tears, remove their disgrace, and “swallow up death forever.”

In the meantime, God gives His people refuge and shelter as they wait. He comforts them in their ordeals, gives them strength to endure, gives them strength to endure, and gives them assurance that He is there with them.

This is the double promise we have – the hope of deliverance one day, plus the provision of His comfort, strength, and shelter throughout our lives.

Trusting God’s faithfulness can dispel our fearfulness.

Our Daily Bread – March 23, 2018