Isaiah 25:1

Verse of the Day Devotion.  Isaiah 25:1

“O lord, Thou art my God; I will exalt Thee, I will give thanks to Thy name; For Thou hast worked wonders, Plans formed long ago, with perfect faithfulness.” – Isaiah 25:1  

This verse speaks regarding a direct address to the Mighty God. This confession expresses the personal choice to identify with the God of all things; the one who created all there is.  Claiming that the Lord is ‘my God’ is also a statement of commitment to a personal relationship with God. The relationship is one in which the singers exalt and thank God, openly expressing appreciation for his grace and faithfulness. These statements represent a faith relationship of worshipers who humbly proclaim the glory of the one they exalt.

As a preface, at the end of chapter 24 we read, “The earth reels to and fro like a drunkard, and it totters like a shack, For its transgression is heavy upon it, and it will fall, never to rise again. So it will happen in that day, that the LORD will punish the host of heaven, on high, and the kings of the earth, on earth. And they will be gathered together Like prisoners in the dungeon and will be confined in prison; And after many days they will be punished. Then the moon will be abashed and the sun ashamed, For the LORD of hosts will reign on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, and His glory will be before His elders.” Isaiah 24:20-23. The final punishment of the earth (not the attack on Jerusalem) will involve a major disruption of the normal patterns of nature. Enormous floods will occur once again as the windows of heaven are opened. Extremely strong earthquakes will shake the land plates from their moorings. It will seem like the earth is collapsing, falling apart, and splitting in two. There will be no stable, safe place to hide, for the earth will convulse like an unstable drunk that cannot walk, or like a small hut struck by a major windstorm. The sinful rebellion of the people on the earth will be so great that nothing can preserve them. The earth will collapse; this old world will never rise again. The prophet is saying that the world as we know it today will come to a final end.

Now, because of this, we see Isaiah’s thanksgiving for the overthrow of the Godless factions that are present on the earth and ruling over mankind, and the setting up of Jehovah’s rule for all eternity. He provides a reason for their praise and a consequence for what happens. The reason regards God’s faithfulness in accomplishing marvelous deeds, a term usually reserved for miraculous divine acts of salvation. These are clear manifestations of God’s wondrous power on behalf of his people, and as stated in verse one, “Plans formed long ago, with perfect faithfulness.” Isaiah 25:1b. These plans were made long before man was created. “Remember the former things long past, For I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is no one like Me, Declaring the end from the beginning And from ancient times things which have not been done, Saying, My purpose will be established, And I will accomplish all My good pleasure.” Isaiah 46:9-10. When all these things described above happen, the people will look back at God’s revelation of his plans and realize that God planned these eschatological events many years earlier. The worshipers will thank God because God faithfully followed the plan he made long ago. His faithfulness speaks of his sovereign power and his dedication to do what he plans.

The consequence is that their enemies will be destroyed, and a new world will be made, one in which strong people, those from ruthless nations, will praise and glorify God. They will fear God, glorifying Him because of the great and mighty works He has done. These people will either convert to Christianity or will, at the least, be forced to tremble in fear before Him. However, the people of God will give God all praise for what they see. What they will see are people from evil and ruthless nations coming to God to worship and praise to Him. These would be people who, after hearing and seeing the truth, come to God and give Him the praise and glory as well.

Do we see these events coming as laid out in the scriptures? Do we believe that God will bring about everything He prophesied would happen? Do we trust God to bring about a great and glorious eternal life to those who have accepted Christ’s work of salvation on the cross? If so for all the above, we should also be praising God “For Thou hast been a defense for the helpless, A defense for the needy in his distress, A refuge from the storm, a shade from the heat; For the breath of the ruthless Is like a rainstorm against a wall.” Isaiah 25:4.  We must fully understand that everything God has promised will come to pass. Let us therefore trust God in the hard times and thank God in the good times. What God has declared will come to pass and we must focus on His promise of a glorious eternal life with Him. Understand that there will be difficult times but focus on the glorious future ahead for us. And give Him all the praise and glory due His name.

William Funkhouser MDiv, ThD, Founder and President of True Devotion Ministries.

Psalm 9:1

Verse of the Day Devotion: Psalm 9:1   

“I will give thanks to the LORD with all my heart; I will tell of all Your wonders.” – Psalm 9:1

Today is Thanksgiving.  History.com gives us a brief synopsis of the beginning of this holiday.  “Thanksgiving Day is a national holiday in the United States, and Thanksgiving 2020 occurs on Thursday, November 26. In 1621, the Plymouth colonists and Wampanoag Native Americans shared an autumn harvest feast that is acknowledged today as one of the first Thanksgiving celebrations in the colonies. For more than two centuries, days of thanksgiving were celebrated by individual colonies and states. It wasn’t until 1863, in the midst of the Civil War, that President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a national Thanksgiving Day to be held each November.”

They had much to celebrate what with the colonies landing safely on this new continent as well as fellowshipping with a Native American tribe, sharing their thanks for the autumn harvest.  And I do not wish to minimize this, However, when we look in Psalm 9, we see so much more we can be thankful for.  We see in our focus verse that David was extremely thankful for all that God has done.  This is noted by the phrase “with all my heart”.  He is saying that he is thankful with everything he has.  Not with divided affection or with partial gratitude.  What is meant is that with everything he is and with all that he has, he will be thankful to God.  Then he says, “I will be glad and exult in You; I will sing praise to Your name, O Most High.” Psalm 9:2.  And not only will he give thanks, but he will exalt and express joy regarding the Lord. The Lord brought him great joy which he expressed here. 

Then He lays out some of the attributes of God that have been displayed that he rejoices and exults in.  “But the LORD abides forever; He has established His throne for judgment, And He will judge the world in righteousness; He will execute judgment for the peoples with equity. The LORD also will be a stronghold for the oppressed, A stronghold in times of trouble; And those who know Your name will put their trust in You, For You, O LORD, have not forsaken those who seek You.” Psalm 9:7-10.  Notice these wonderful attributes.  He abides forever, He executes judgement with fairness and equity.  He is a stronghold to the oppressed, and in times of trouble.  We can trust Him in all things, and He will never forsake those who seek Him. 

In other places, the same declaration of praise to God is found.  “Praise the LORD! I will give thanks to the LORD with all my heart, In the company of the upright and in the assembly.” Psalm 111:1. And, “speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord; always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father;” Ephesians 5:20.  He was filled with gratitude for all that God is, what He is doing, and His love and mercy toward him. 

Let us take time to look back and see all that God has done for us; how He has saved us from the penalty of our sins. How He has protected us through troubling times, has supplied our every need, and fulfilled every promise He has made to us. No matter our need, He is there to meet it.  “And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:19.  Let each of us take time on this Thanksgiving in giving thanks for everything He has done for us.  For we have so much to be thankful for in all He has done, and the love He shows us. 

Happy Thanksgiving to all and I pray it will be a wonderful blessing to everyone.  God blesses us with blessings all the time, and sometimes we do not see it that way.  However, remember these words which are so beautiful in what they express.  “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.  For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified.” Romans 8:28-30.   

William Funkhouser MDiv, ThD, Founder and President of True Devotion Ministries. 

Psalm 77:14

Verse of the Day Devotion: Psalm 77:14 

“You are the God who works wonders; You have made known Your strength among the peoples.” – Psalm 77:14

This is a great verse.  Our God, the one and only true God, has done amazing things, or as the writer said, worked wonders.  What are some of these things?  Well, first, He created everything.  “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” Genesis 1:1.  Also, “For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him.” Colossians 1:16. And finally, “Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer, and the one who formed you from the womb, “I, the LORD, am the maker of all things, Stretching out the heavens by Myself And spreading out the earth all alone, Isaiah 44:24.  Before God created the heavens and the earth, there was only the eternal realm where God was and is.  What is more wonderful then creating something from nothing. 

Also, He created us, man, not by speaking us into existence, but by forming us.  “Then the LORD God formed man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.” Genesis 2:7.  So, after created where we would live, He then created us, forming us from the dust of His creation. 

Now creation of everything is an incredible feat in itself.  No one other than God could have done this, and when we look at creation, seeing the wonders of the heavens, all the stars and galaxies in the sky, and the amazing objects from which all is created, such as cells, atoms and incredible energy that exists in both living creatures and objects we view, are amazing in themselves, and they work together in amazing unity. 

However, we also see that every act of God is beyond understanding.  Whether in creation as described above, but also in His interaction with all of mankind.  He knows absolutely everything that has happened, is happening and will happen.  He works in the earth for His purpose, which includes the good of His people.  Look at all the ways He has intervened in history.  He delivered Israel from the bondage of Egypt, fed them in the desert with Manna which He provided to them, delivered Daniel from the Lion’s Den, and Israel from both Assyria and Babylon.  And He loves us so much, He provided a way of salvation by sending His only begotten Son to die in our place so we can live forever with Him. 

When I look at everything in the heavens, earth, history, His provision for us, the way everything works together so that we, mankind, can live here on the earth, I am in awe.  None of this could be by accident.  Every day, hour, minute, second and moment is known by our amazing creator.  And He guides those who commit themselves to Him, and when this era is over, we shall live with Him, in a new and perfect heaven and earth, which He will create after all things are done. 

I cannot lay out everything that shows His incredible power, glory and strength.  But, the more I think about these things, the more I am humbled and thankful for all God does.  I encourage everyone to think about these things, giving thanks to Him for His infinite actions, infinite knowledge, and infinite love.  Read the entire chapter of Psalm 77 and again ponder all that He has done and continues to do for you and those you know and love.  When I have done it, He has revealed amazing things to me.  I believe He will do the same for every one of you.

William Funkhouser MDiv, ThD, Founder and President of True Devotion Ministries.