Day 8

January 15

Kaitlyn Whisnant

Isaiah 40:31 NIV

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. 

Today’s scripture is out of the book of Isaiah. The book of Isaiah unveils the full dimensions of God’s judgment and salvation. This is revealed to us in the scripture leading up to today’s verse. The nation of Israel was preparing for its coming judgment and knew that it was not going to end well. This is because the nation as a whole had been unfaithful and failed to keep God’s promises, which later led to the Israelite’s exile to Babylon, an event that shook the nation of Israel to the core. This could have easily been the end for the Israelites, but instead we step into a new world of hope for Israel and the coming Messiah in today’s scripture. 

The scripture says that “those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength”. Even though Israel did not keep God’s promises and were unfaithful, the Lord showed grace. He offered them a new beginning, forgiving them of all their previous sins and granting them peace in a season of many unknowns. He does the same for us and through this passage, we are reminded of how He washes our sins clean. 

Christ reveals to us a number of different truths and provides us comfort in our new beginning. First, no matter what you have done in your past or been through, you can still find a new beginning. The Israelites had done a number of unfaithful and unworthy things, but still were given comfort. We are not hopeless, unworthy or too far gone for God to still give us a new beginning. We are reminded here that no matter what happens, our new beginning is represented by the sacrifice Jesus made on the cross for each one of our sins. If we believe in the resurrection of life and the coming of the Messiah, we will be granted a new beginning. We can follow Christ and return to connection with Him through the laying down of our own sin, regret and guilt at the cross. 

The next truth that is revealed to me through this passage is through the word “hope”. The word hope means a feeling of expectation or desire for something to happen. Through the first truth we were able to find comfort in knowing that God forgives us for our sins and that we are never too far gone for a new beginning in Him. The Lord is a God of comfort and grace. Now we are able to find hope in our new beginning and hope in what lies ahead. Keeping this in mind, today we need to reflect on areas in our lives that we need both comfort and grace. While turning to Jesus through prayer and scripture, we are able to rest assured in our new found beginning. 

Prayer: Dear Lord, thank you for paying the ultimate price on the cross for us and making us new each morning. Help us to continue to follow in your footsteps and renew our strength each day so we can bring glory to your Kingdom. With your help, no matter how big or small we mess up, you will still love us and give us boundless grace. Give us the strength to be able to admit when we mess up and start fresh in a new beginning. And give us your generous heart to be able to offer a new beginning to others, just like you do for us. Amen.