Friday, April 21, 2023

Today’s Scripture Reading 
Isaiah 30:18–26

Therefore the Lord waits to be gracious to you; therefore he will rise up to show mercy to you. For the Lord is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for him. Truly, O people in Zion, inhabitants of Jerusalem, you shall weep no more. He will surely be gracious to you at the sound of your cry; when he hears it, he will answer you. Though the Lord may give you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, yet your Teacher will not hide himself any more, but your eyes shall see your Teacher. And when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left, your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.” Then you will defile your silver-covered idols and your gold-plated images. You will scatter them like filthy rags; you will say to them, “Away with you!” He will give rain for the seed with which you sow the ground, and grain, the produce of the ground, which will be rich and plenteous. On that day your cattle will graze in broad pastures; and the oxen and donkeys that till the ground will eat silage, which has been winnowed with shovel and fork. On every lofty mountain and every high hill there will be brooks running with water — on a day of the great slaughter, when the towers fall. Moreover the light of the moon will be like the light of the sun, and the light of the sun will be sevenfold, like the light of seven days, on the day when the Lord binds up the injuries of his people, and heals the wounds inflicted by his blow. (NRSV)

Reflection

It’s interesting that, according to this scripture, God gives the bread of adversity and the water of affliction to the people. Is it that God allows adversity and affliction to exist? We can get tied up in knots trying to figure out why suffering exists. Does God give it or allow it? Do we bring it on ourselves? Is it simply part of being human? Perhaps why suffering exists is not the most important question.

Adversity and affliction exist. To me, the more important question is how will we respond? That’s something over which we have power. We can choose how to respond to adversity and affliction. And this scripture reminds us that we are not alone in our response. There is a Teacher that we can see and hear with the eyes and ears of our heart — with the inner senses that perceive intuitively and through contemplative prayer. The inner Teacher tells us “This is the way; walk in it.”

It is good, too, to test the Spirit, to test the inner Teacher, by looking for the fruits of the Spirit. When we are finding the way and walking in it, we connect with the inner Teacher. And when we connect with the inner Teacher, we receive the fruits of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22–23).

Prayer

Holy God, help me to release my attachments to empty things, idols that distract me from you. Open the eyes and ears of my heart that I may perceive the inner Teacher, follow your way, and dwell in the fruits of the Spirit. Amen.

Written by Nanette Sawyer, Associate Pastor for Discipleship and Small Group Ministry

Reflection and prayer © Fourth Presbyterian Church

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