We encourage you to read this devotion three times a
day. Start in the morning and reflect upon the morning reflection
question. Then in the afternoon, read it again and reflect using the noon
question for reflection. For the evening, take time to ponder how this
has resonated with you in the day and reflecting using the evening
question. We offer a prayer with each devotion for you to pray or we
invite you to pray what is in your heart.
Isaiah 50:4-9
The Lord God
has given me the tongue of a teacher, that I may know how to sustain the weary
with a word. Morning by morning he wakens— wakens my ear to listen as those who
are taught. 5The Lord God has opened my ear, and I was not
rebellious, I did not turn backward. 6I gave my
back to those who struck me, and my cheeks to those who pulled out the beard; I
did not hide my face from insult and spitting. 7The
Lord God helps me; therefore I have not been disgraced; therefore I have set my
face like flint, and I know that I shall not be put to shame; 8he
who vindicates me is near. Who will contend with me? Let us stand up together.
Who are my adversaries? Let them confront me. 9It
is the Lord God who helps me; who will declare me guilty? All of them will wear
out like a garment; the moth will eat them up.
Reflection:
Why is it that we
are so quick to defend ourselves and often so quick to ignore the suffering of
others? It is easy to go about our
lives and ignore the pain and suffering that is happening in the world around
us. How often do you turn on the
news and respond in prayer to the stories you hear? In our text from Isaiah we read, “Morning by morning he
wakens- wakens my ear to listen as those who are taught.” (v. 4) It is time for us to allow God to open
our ears to more than just our personal struggles. It is time to listen to the voices of those who suffer in
the world. No longer can we call
ourselves followers of Jesus Christ if we chose to only follow him in our
hearts and not in our actions. As
we prepare for Holy Week, may we be challenged to “stand up together” (v.8) and
make a difference in our broken world.
May this Lenten season lead us to an Easter that changes the way we
listen and the way we live.
Reflection Questions:
Morning: Today listen to the voices of those around you. Be sensitive to the suffering of
others. Allow yourself to see the
face of Christ in your neighbors, your coworkers, your family and your friends.
Afternoon:
“Let us stand up together”
(v.8) Take action today. Don’t
allow fear of what others may think keep you from following the movement of the
Spirit in your life.
Evening: How did it feel to listen today? Were you able to speak less and listen
more? As you reflect on what you
heard today, was there a need that you found yourself passionate about? When we see a need in the world that
stirs our hearts it is often the work of the Spirit in us, moving us to take
action. How will you take action?
Prayer: Precious God waken my ears today that I might hear the
needs of those around me. Stir in
me a passion for making a difference in this world. Amen.
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