1st. August. 2022.Daily Devotions.
‘See, I will create new heavens and a new earth. The former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind. But be glad and rejoice for ever in what I will create, for I will create Jerusalem to be a delight and its people a joy. Isaiah 65:17-18
Have you ever wondered what the future will be like? I do. I wonder if doomsday forecasts will come true or whether we will find pathways toward a better future. If I look only to myself and what I know now, I am not always especially hopeful. Some problems seem impossible to solve, and reasons to feel gloomy abound.
But God gives us many good reasons to be hopeful. First, God loves his creation, including us. God sent his Son to redeem us and to show us a better way of life, the kingdom way. God offers us forgiveness and new life: more than pardon, this is the gift of a new future made possible through Jesus Christ. The apostle Paul says that when we are “in Christ,” the old is gone and the new has come (2 Corinthians 5:17). And in Revelation 21:5 we read that God is “making everything new.”
Isaiah paints a picture of God’s new future in very practical terms. People will live long. Infant mortality will be gone. People will stay in their own homes. They will reap the rewards of their labour, not toiling merely for the benefit of others. There will be peace—so much so that even natural enemies will cooperate. R. Berkenbosch.
That’s a beautiful picture of the future into which God invites us already today.
Lord, help us to do justice, love mercy, trust Jesus, and follow him. Help us to enter your good future. Give us hope as we participate and invite others. Amen.
God of grace, we bless you for the gift of each day; for the glory of creation, the joy of salvation and the fire of your love in our hearts. Amen. Handley Moule (1841-1920)
Prayer for the Day
Holy God, who taught the hearts of all faithful people by sending to them the light of your Holy Spirit; Grant me by the same Spirit to be guided in my work today, and in my every thought and deed and in everything I say. Let my decisions be wise and holy, and my ears open to your wisdom. And let me always be open to change; unstop my ears and soften my heart, so that I can learn your way better and better every hour of this day. I pray in the name of my beloved Lord, Jesus Christ, Amen.
Father and Mother of all, through your word all creation comes to be, and you perfectly love all you have made. All life is your gift, and all creation will find final fulfilment in you. As your grace is sufficient for all, and as we rejoice that we are blessed to know it, even in part, we ask that we might be signs that you have given creation and heaven as a place for all. May your Holy Spirit bless us with grace, humility, hope, wisdom, and openness, as it did your son, Jesus Christ. Amen.
Prayer for Peace
Dear Father of all, Help us to see the world through your eyes, without dividing lines, To see just land and water, mountains, trees, and skies. Help us to lay aside our class and skin, our background and race, To know our shared humanity, to see a brother or sister in every face. Help us to wear forgiveness, to lay down our pride and pain, To seek first to understand, Lord may peace and reconciliation reign. Help us to feel your compassion so we can freely forgive. May we weave new threads of grace and cause seeds of hope to live. Help us to play our own small part, with acts of kindness and of care. May we arise as your children and seek out what is just and fair. Cause us to make new bonds of trust with neighbours near and far, And so to fashion a world where peace comes to Earth in this hour. a prayer for peace by Julie Palmer © 2019 