Today Daily Devotional

Lebanon is not sufficient for altar fires, nor its animals enough for burnt offerings. — Isaiah 40:16 After discussing God’s incomparable supremacy, Isaiah emphasizes our human insufficiency to please the Lord. Lebanon is known in the Old Testament as a nation with great forests of beautiful trees producing the finest wood. The cedars and junipers of Lebanon were used in the construction of God’s...

Surely the nations are like a drop in a bucket; they are regarded as dust on the scales; he weighs the islands as though they were fine dust. — Isaiah 40:15 Here the prophet Isaiah portrays God's superiority over all the nations of the earth. The world’s great economic and military powers are no match for God. Empires rise and fall, but God remains the Sovereign Lord over all. Armies develop weapo...

Whom did the LORD consult to enlighten him, and who taught him the right way? Who . . . taught him knowledge, or showed him the path of understanding? — Isaiah 40:14 One of the pillars of Christian teaching is that God knows all things, understands all things, sees all things, and searches all things. Nothing is too complex for God to understand. There is no area of knowledge in which God needs in...

Who can fathom the Spirit of the LORD, or instruct the LORD as his counselor? — Isaiah 40:13 Continuing with the description of the incomparable majesty of God, Isaiah highlights the fact that the Spirit of the Lord cannot be fully understood. There is no wisdom or knowledge higher than the Lord’s. No one else has greater wisdom. God is all-powerful, so he is not dependent on another being. God ho...

Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, or with the breadth of his hand marked off the heavens? — Isaiah 40:12 From this section of Isaiah 40 to its end, the prophet asks rhetorical questions that highlight God’s amazing power, ability, and majesty over all things. In relation to creation, knowledge, nations, and rulers, nothing and no one compares with God. For example, who is able...

He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young. — Isaiah 40:11 The Lord is not only the almighty God of the universe; he is also the shepherd of his people. God tends his people like a flock, watching over them, caring for all their needs, gently leading them, and providing them with comfort and restor...

See, the Sovereign LORD comes with power, and he rules with a mighty arm. See, his reward is with him. . . . — Isaiah 40:10 Having introduced the Lord to his people, Isaiah describes the majestic revelation of God. First, he is the Sovereign LORD, the Lord Almighty. The Lord is neither a pagan deity nor a tribal idol; he is the one, true God, clothed with power and majesty. Since he is all-powerfu...

You who bring good news . . . lift up your voice with a shout, lift it up, do not be afraid; [saying] . . . “Here is your God!” — Isaiah 40:9 The good news that must be announced with a shout is that the Lord has come to make himself known. Knowing and glorifying God is the reason for life itself. The prophet announces: “Here is your God!”Who is this God? This is the Lord who made covenant promise...

“The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God endures forever.” — Isaiah 40:8 The prophet Isaiah contrasts the briefness of human life with the eternity of the Word of God. We are born, grow, mature, and die, but the Word of God remains forever. We come and go from history, but the Word of God remains alive, sovereign, and victorious from generation to generation. Many have trie...

“The grass withers and the flowers fall, because the breath of the LORD blows on them. Surely the people are grass.” — Isaiah 40:7 Again we find the shortness of life compared to grass that sprouts in the morning, flourishes briefly, and is scorched by the sun in the heat of the day. Our life is brief, as fleeting as morning mist that disappears as the sun rises. Our life is as unstable as a cloud...

“All people are like grass, and all their faithfulness is like the flowers of the field.” — Isaiah 40:6 Our text today emphasizes two solemn truths that point to the same fact. There is no room for human vanity. Human pride is nothing but utter foolishness. Our bodies are as fragile as grass. We have physical weaknesses that cannot be disguised. Time carves wrinkles into our faces, and make-up can...

“The glory of the LORD will be revealed, and all people will see it together.” — Isaiah 40:5 As we noted yesterday, spiritual reformation happens before spiritual revival. First, with God’s help and grace, his people seek to live in his way, and then the Lord visits them with revival. Without valleys filled in, mountains leveled, crooked paths made straight, and rough places made smooth, there is...

“Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain.” — Isaiah 40:4 This passage in Isaiah describes the content of John the Baptist’s preaching, as shown in Luke 3:1-5. It is not about the topography of the land; it is not about road construction, as found in the Roman Empire. The prophet is speaking of the profound ch...

“In the wilderness prepare the way for the LORD; make straight in the desert a highway for our God.” — Isaiah 40:3 The prophet Isaiah looks ahead, pointing to a prophet who would prepare the way for the coming Messiah. John the Baptist was that prophet, and the Messiah was Jesus Christ. John presented the Messiah, Jesus, as the true light that comes into the world and enlightens every person. John...

Proclaim to her that her hard service has been completed, that her sin has been paid for. . . . — Isaiah 40:2 God’s people had ignored his law and had closed their ears to the words of his prophets. As a consequence, the people were taken into captivity and exile. Because they would not listen to the voice of grace, they heard the crack of the whip of discipline. But the same God who disciplines h...

Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. — Isaiah 40:1 The book of Isaiah is sometimes called “the gospel of the Old Testament” because it announces the good news (gospel) of the coming of God’s servant, the Messiah, who is Jesus Christ. In chapters 1-39, Isaiah writes about history. And in the rest of the book he delivers a message of comfort, restoration, and hope. Comfort has its source in Go...

“You have heard that it was said. . . . But I tell you. . . .” — Matthew 5:21-22 In this passage from Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, our Lord cites several references from the Old Testament Law, such as “Do not murder,” “Do not commit adultery,” and so on. Then he adds his own divine wisdom on the deeper meanings of those laws, insisting that even our thoughts and motives are subject to the Law’s com...

The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ. . . . — 2 Corinthians 4:4 In this passage Paul speaks of people’s minds being blinded by “the god of this age.” This is a reference to Satan, the devil, who is still very active in our world today. Has the god of this age, the devil, blinded you? I think an h...

I delight in God’s law; but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin. . . . — Romans 7:22-23 It is hard to overstate how much our minds are like battlefields. This is true for all believers in Christ, including the apostle Paul, who describes his own struggles in our text for today. In this passage Paul says that one set of t...

Those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. — Romans 8:5 There are two basic directions we can follow in life: our own desires or God’s desires. If we believe in Christ, we should aim to follow God’s desires. Here's a little test we can give ourselves. We can write down our desires in two columns. In one column we can note how many of our daily des...

I will pray with my spirit, but I will also pray with my understanding; I will sing with my spirit, but I will also sing with my understanding. — 1 Corinthians 14:15 This passage addresses the gift of speaking in tongues. I do not have that spiritual gift, but many believers do. Paul supports the fact that Christians may speak in tongues, and he notes that it’s also important for the community to...

If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault. — James 1:5 The highest degree a person can earn in a field of study is a doctorate. But education is not a true measure of wisdom. There are lots of foolish people with doctoral degrees, and there are many uneducated men and women who are wise. Wisdom is not the same as academic learning. Wisdom not...

Have the same mindset as Christ Jesus. — Philippians 2:5 One of the most important goals for a believer in Christ is to have the same mindset as Jesus. Wouldn’t that be amazing?! In Philippians 2, the apostle Paul describes the attitude Jesus had when he came from heaven to earth to live among us and to save us from sin and death. In his descent, Jesus gave up all the power and glory he had in hea...

“To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!” — Revelation 5:13 Maybe you have heard Handel’s Messiah, which includes this song and many others that we find in the Bible. Maybe the music of that stirring oratorio is going through your head right now. Praising God through song is not just a nice thing to do now and then. In this text, si...

They were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of God’s people. — Revelation 5:8 Did you know that our prayers are like a scented offering to the Lord? Imagine God sitting on his throne, inhaling all of our prayers. He is surrounded by four creatures that are beyond our imagining, and by 24 elders who represent all of his people redeemed by Jesus, the Lamb of God. The amazin...