Reading 82 | The Bible in 100 Passages

Friday, December 5, 2025  

Today's Scripture
Isaiah 42:1–9

Here is my servant, whom I uphold,
my chosen, in whom my soul delights;
I have put my spirit upon him;
he will bring forth justice to the nations.
He will not cry or lift up his voice,
or make it heard in the street;
a bruised reed he will not break,
and a dimly burning wick he will not quench;
he will faithfully bring forth justice.
He will not grow faint or be crushed
until he has established justice in the earth;
and the coastlands wait for his teaching.

Thus says God, the Lord,
who created the heavens and stretched them out,
who spread out the earth and what comes from it,
who gives breath to the people upon it
and spirit to those who walk in it:
I am the Lord, I have called you in righteousness,
I have taken you by the hand and kept you;
I have given you as a covenant to the people,
a light to the nations,
to open the eyes that are blind,
to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon,
from the prison those who sit in darkness.
I am the Lord, that is my name;
my glory I give to no other,
nor my praise to idols.
See, the former things have come to pass,
and new things I now declare;
before they spring forth,
I tell you of them. (NRSV)

Reflection

Generations before the arrival of Jesus, prophets like Isaiah were sharing beautiful, hopeful depictions of the savior. For a nation of people desolate and exiled, the notion of justice must have been particularly appealing. The idea that God would send a servant to make things right and somehow manage to do it without violence must have been unimaginable.

And yet God doing the impossible is central to the Old Testament. It’s woven throughout all the well-known Sunday school stories — Noah’s Ark, Jonah and the Whale, Daniel and the Lion’s Den, etc. It’s central to the New Testament, too. The last twenty-seven books of the Bible are filled with miracles. Some directly affect hundreds or even thousands of people (e.g., Jesus turning water into wine or the feeding of the 5,000), and some affect only a few (raising Lazarus from the dead or healing the blind man), but all are miracles.

Given the prevalence of God doing impossible things throughout the many centuries covered in scripture, it’s not hard to believe God still does. Some miracles unfold loudly in public, witnessed by many. Others happen quietly in private, known only to the heart that receives them.

Prayer

Lord, as I wait for the miracle of the birth of your Son, help me remember that nothing is impossible for you. Each miracle is a reminder that you continue to walk with me. May it be so until you call me home and I can rest in your presence. Amen.     

Written by Nicole Spirgen, Member of Fourth Presbyterian Church

Reflection and Prayer © Fourth Presbyterian Church

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