A WORD FOR TODAY, July 12, 2024
Peggy Hoppes
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Blessings. Peg
A WORD FOR TODAY, July 12, 2024
“Seek Yahweh while he may be found. Call on him while he is near. Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts. Let him return to Yahweh, and he will have mercy on him, to our God, for he will freely pardon. ‘For my thoughts are not your thoughts, and your ways are not my ways,’ says Yahweh. ‘For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. For as the rain comes down and the snow from the sky, and doesn’t return there, but waters the earth, and makes it grow and bud, and gives seed to the sower and bread to the eater; so is my word that goes out of my mouth: it will not return to me void, but it will accomplish that which I please, and it will prosper in the thing I sent it to do. For you shall go out with joy, and be led out with peace. The mountains and the hills will break out before you into singing; and all the trees of the fields will clap their hands. Instead of the thorn the cypress tree will come up; and instead of the brier the myrtle tree will come up. It will make a name for Yahweh, for an everlasting sign that will not be cut off.’” Isaiah 55:8-13, WEB
One of my favourite childhood picture books is called “The Cat in the Box.” It is a very simple story that begins with a picture of a cat in a box. As you go through the pages, the artist enlarges the view of the cat’s world as if a camera is pulling back from the cat. You see that the box is on a chair, in a room, in a house, in a neighborhood, in a city, in a state, in a country, in the world. When you are inside the box, you can only wonder about everything outside the box. With each page, you gain a greater understanding about the cat and its world.
I learned about this philosophy in college. We all live in boxes, though they are not cardboard like the one the cat lives in. The boxes are our homes, neighborhoods, schools, work, and churches. We live in boxes that are created by our gender, cultural understanding, education, financial position and politics. Some people are unable to physically leave their boxes, because of health or money. Others prefer to keep their boxes very small, by not traveling outside their city or seeking to learn about other ideas. Many people reject new people or ideas because they cannot make them fit into their box.
Unfortunately, we try to keep God in our own little boxes. We define Him according to our own understanding, based on the life we live. The Jews put God into a room in a Temple, defining Him by their history and religion. We try to put Him in our own little rooms, like our churches or our doctrinal understanding. Yet, God is much bigger than we can ever make His box.
In the story of the cat, we moved out of the box far enough to see the entire world, yet there is even more beyond that as we can see as we look at the galaxy and universe. It is the same with our understanding of God. We cannot even come close to understanding the fullness of His glory. Yet, we can seek to know Him more by prayer, study, and fellowship with those outside our box.
The text from Isaiah is familiar to us. We looked at the beginning of chapter 55 yesterday. It begins with the call for those who are thirsty to seek God: what He has He offers freely and abundantly. In today’s passage, we are reminded that everything that comes from God is fruitful. It is productive. God is actively involved in His creation, and He is faithful to His promises. His will shall be done, and He will make certain it is. Isaiah tells us in this passage of promise that instead of thorns, the earth will bear cypress and instead of briers the earth will bear myrtles. In other words, instead of plants that are useless and damaging, God will make the world productive and useful again.
God’s ways are not our ways. He does amazing and incredibly surprising things. He sent His Son to be born in flesh, to live and to die for our sake. We learn how to be children of God from Jesus Christ, and by His example we learn how to sacrifice ourselves by following Him and doing His work for the sake of others. We learn how to live lives of grace and love that will cause others to trust in God’s promises. If we could take our “camera” as far from our own little boxes as possible, we would see that by God’s grace we have received the greatest gift: eternal life that comes from faith in Jesus. Today, step outside your box for just a moment and see that there is more to God’s Kingdom and promises than you ever imagined.
A WORD FOR TODAY is posted five days a week – Monday through Friday. The devotional on Wednesday takes a look at the scripture from the Revised Common Lectionary for the upcoming Sunday. A WORD FOR TODAY is posted on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/pages/A-Word-for-Today-Devotional/339428839418276. Like the page to receive the devotion through Facebook. For information and to access our archives, visit http://www.awordfortoday.org