The Upper Room Devotion for Wednesday, May 15, 2024, was written by Larry Wayne of Tennessee.
Scripture
18 Therefore the Lord waits to be gracious to you; therefore he will rise up to show mercy to you. For the Lord is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for him. 19 Truly, O people in Zion, inhabitants of Jerusalem, you shall weep no more. He will surely be gracious to you at the sound of your cry; when he hears it, he will answer you. 20 Though the Lord may give you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, yet your Teacher will not hide himself anymore, but your eyes shall see your Teacher. 21 And when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left, your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.” 22 Then you will defile your silver-covered idols and your gold-plated images. You will scatter them like filthy rags; you will say to them, “Away with you!” 23 He will give rain for the seed with which you sow the ground, and grain, the produce of the ground, which will be rich and plenteous. On that day your cattle will graze in broad pastures; 24 and the oxen and donkeys that till the ground will eat silage, which has been winnowed with shovel and fork. 25 On every lofty mountain and every high hill there will be brooks running with water—on a day of the great slaughter, when the towers fall. 26 Moreover the light of the moon will be like the light of the sun, and the light of the sun will be sevenfold, like the light of seven days, on the day when the Lord binds up the injuries of his people, and heals the wounds inflicted by his blow.
Isaiah 30:18-26 NRSV
Author's Thoughts
A few white clouds drifted in a blue sky over the Smoky Mountains. In the distance I could see a farmer on a tractor, tilling the field for planting. The farmer could not know what the weather would bring or whether the seeds would produce a bountiful crop. Yet, undaunted, the farmer has faith that the seeds will produce an abundant crop and prepares the land.
The words from James 5:7 come to mind: "7 Be patient, therefore, beloved, until the coming of the Lord. The farmer waits for the precious crop from the earth, being patient with it until it receives the early and the late rains." As followers of Christ, our witness is like the seeds a farmer plants. We don't know how well our seeds will grow or whether they will bear fruit. But like a farmer who returns each spring to plant once again, we must have faith that some of our seeds will land on good ground and produce a harvest that will bear much fruit for the kingdom of God. I pray my faith remains as strong as that of a farmer and that my witness will bring an abundant harvest.
Pastor Anthony's Thoughts
Friends,
Often our faith is tested when we face adversity and uncertainty. When confronted with obstacles, we must choose whether we remain faithfully committed to faith-filled living or give in to the pressures. When we first embarked upon relationship with God, we did not know if our patience and obedience would pay off. Yet the longer we have journeyed with God, the more we are able to recount instance after instance where God was provide solutions for our most complexed problems. Larry's reflection reminds us to continue putting our trust in God, knowing that God is ever faithful.
Author's Prayer
Dear Lord, guide us through the day so that we hear your word and through our actions become witnesses of your goodness to others. Amen.
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