Read Isaiah 49: 1-7. Key Verse: Thus says the Lord, the Redeemer of Israel and his Holy One, to one deeply despised, abhorred by the nations, the slave of rulers, "Kings shall see and stand up, princes, and they shall prostrate themselves, because of the Lord, who is faithful, the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen you." (v. 7)
Troubled times do not last, though it seems that way. Suffering gives way to victory. The passage for today spoke to the heart of Jesus as it should speak to us, the Church. Pending death for He who died for us, would not be the end, nor shall it be that way for us. Faith is that platform from which great leaps can be made. And the greatest faith sometimes comes from those times that drive us to our knees in prayer. The one who realizes that it is God who holds the answers is the one who can best lead.
Our prayers for our church should be the building blocks of a great platform from which we will leap to do the great things of and for, God.
PRAYER: Loving God, grant us faith on which to build our lives. May we realize and accept that we must serve and sacrifice faithfully. In Christ Jesus we pray, amen.
