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Each 1 Reach 1 February 9 Devotional

by David Joynt on February 09, 2023


ISAIAH 59:1-3, 7-8| 1See, the Lord’s arm is not too short to save, nor his ear too dull to hear. Rather, your iniquities have been barriers between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear. For your hands are defiled with blood and your fingers with iniquity; your lips have spoken lies; your tongue mutters wickedness.

 

7Their feet run to evil, and they rush to shed innocent blood; their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity; desolation and destruction are in their highways. The way of peace they do not know, and there is no justice in their ways. Their roads they have made crooked; no one who walks in them knows peace.

 

Life without God can also create anger and resentment in us, when we or others are subject to tyranny, injustice, or exploitation. The great goods of beauty, truth, and love, which almost everyone  experiences to some degree, can heighten the distress of their opposite evils, ugliness, deception, and hate. Even if our own lives are peaceful and secure, living in a world of violence can deeply impact us as we see others affected. The more love and empathy we have, the more we are drawn into others’ pain and suffering. Thus even life’s richest gifts can create anxiety and sorrow.

 

The only resolution is trust in the eventual triumph of God’s justice and the victory of His kingdom.

 

When has your love or empathy drawn you into another’s suffering?

 

 

Gracious God,

Don’t allow me to live narrowly or selfishly. Make me aware of things as they are. Help me see not only the beautiful but the terrible. I trust in the victory of Your kingdom.

Amen.

 


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