C-19 Reflection #49: Prophet Words for the Soul (1)

C-19 Reflection (#49)

Theme: Prophet Words for the Soul (1)

Scripture: Isaiah 40:25-31

“To whom will you compare me?

    Or who is my equal?” says the Holy One.

26 

Lift up your eyes and look to the heavens:

    Who created all these?

He who brings out the starry host one by one

    and calls forth each of them by name.

Because of his great power and mighty strength,

    not one of them is missing.

27 

Why do you complain, Jacob?

    Why do you say, Israel,

“My way is hidden from the Lord;

    my cause is disregarded by my God”?

28 

Do you not know?

    Have you not heard?

The Lord is the everlasting God,

    the Creator of the ends of the earth.

He will not grow tired or weary,

    and his understanding no one can fathom.

29 

He gives strength to the weary

    and increases the power of the weak.

30 

Even youths grow tired and weary,

    and young men stumble and fall;

31 

but those who hope in the Lord

    will renew their strength.

They will soar on wings like eagles;

    they will run and not grow weary,

    they will walk and not be faint.

Reflection:

The prophets often speak challenging words for critical times, bitingly truthful, designed to gain attention and get a response.  While the piercing gets messy, there is another side to the prophetic proposal and that is that the prophets are fully capable of beautiful words for better days. 

I find myself being drawn to the prophets recently. (*although Jeremiah specifically, has been on my mind for quite awhile). The Sunday meditation likely made that obvious in the way that three different prophets helped me to think more fully about the intergenerational ministry of the Holy Spirit. 

The prophets speak from the heart to people who speak out of both sides of the mouth.  We need that exposure and correction to turn us. We also we need visions of our healing. I pray we will be renewed by  killer language and the promise of kindness. That’s what we need to help us to run and rise.

Questions:

1. What word, phrase or image in this passage, draws you in?

2. Reflect on your weariness and the weariness that you are noticing in others? Bring that weariness to God.

3. Where have you been experiencing God’s strength?

4. Into whose life do you feel called to pray Isaiah’s words today?