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Prepare: Thank God for all the times he has been your refuge over the past year.
‘Not with a bang but a whimper’ – words of the poet TS Eliot which might just describe the way we feel about the ending of a year, especially if it hasn’t been good for us. Yet this song of praise to God is anything but a whimper. After all the emphasis on God’s anger in the last few days’ readings, this chapter reverberates with joy at the deliverance that God has brought about through his judgements (see chapter 24).
We have seen the lows God’s people endured before they came to realise their need to repent. Now we see the rejoicing when that repentance finally comes and God’s anger is finished (v 6). But it goes even further than that. The feast is for ‘all peoples’ (v 6), death will be swallowed up for ‘all peoples’ (v 7), and tears will be wiped away from ‘all faces’ (v 8). This salvation is not only for the people Isaiah has been writing about, but for everyone, and that includes us!
The most important thing we can do is trust in God. Everything else will stem from that. So, a cause for great rejoicing (v 9) and a fitting way for us to start a new year.
Respond: ‘This is the Lord, we trusted in him; let us rejoice and be glad in his salvation’ (v 9). Spend time doing just that.
http://www.wordlive.org/Session/Classic/2012-12-31
‘Not with a bang but a whimper’ – words of the poet TS Eliot which might just describe the way we feel about the ending of a year, especially if it hasn’t been good for us. Yet this song of praise to God is anything but a whimper. After all the emphasis on God’s anger in the last few days’ readings, this chapter reverberates with joy at the deliverance that God has brought about through his judgements (see chapter 24).
We have seen the lows God’s people endured before they came to realise their need to repent. Now we see the rejoicing when that repentance finally comes and God’s anger is finished (v 6). But it goes even further than that. The feast is for ‘all peoples’ (v 6), death will be swallowed up for ‘all peoples’ (v 7), and tears will be wiped away from ‘all faces’ (v 8). This salvation is not only for the people Isaiah has been writing about, but for everyone, and that includes us!
The most important thing we can do is trust in God. Everything else will stem from that. So, a cause for great rejoicing (v 9) and a fitting way for us to start a new year.
Respond: ‘This is the Lord, we trusted in him; let us rejoice and be glad in his salvation’ (v 9). Spend time doing just that.
http://www.wordlive.org/Session/Classic/2012-12-31
Scripture
About this Plan
WordLive provides a daily slice of Bible reading and commentary that, over four years, covers most of the Bible. The commentary encourages the reader to engage with the Bible passage in order to deepen their relationship with God, through reflection and practical application. The WordLive website offers further multimedia content and group Bible study, while registration offers a daily email, journal and bookmarking, and community tools.
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We would like to thank Scripture Union England & Wales for providing this plan. For more information, please visit: www.wordlive.org/youversion
