Daily Devotions – Holiness and healing

Daily Devotions – Holiness and healing

 

Click this link to hear an audio version of the below text narrated by SOTH member Jerry Rhinehart:

Isaiah 29:17-24 (NIV)

17 In a very short time, will not Lebanon be turned into a fertile field and the fertile field seem like a forest? 18 In that day the deaf will hear the words of the scroll, and out of gloom and darkness the eyes of the blind will see. 19 Once more the humble will rejoice in the Lord; the needy will rejoice in the Holy One of Israel. 20 The ruthless will vanish, the mockers will disappear, and all who have an eye for evil will be cut down—21 those who with a word make someone out to be guilty, who ensnare the defender in court and with false testimony deprive the innocent of justice. 22 Therefore this is what the Lord, who redeemed Abraham, says to the descendants of Jacob: “No longer will Jacob be ashamed; no longer will their faces grow pale. 23 When they see among them their children, the work of my hands, they will keep my name holy; they will acknowledge the holiness of the Holy One of Jacob, and will stand in awe of the God of Israel. 24 Those who are wayward in spirit will gain understanding; those who complain will accept instruction.”

Yesterday in Isaiah 35:1-10 we heard the prophet’s outlandish promise that God would heal our physical and emotional brokenness. This was not the only time Isaiah made such a promise. Today we go back a few chapters earlier, where Isaiah makes similar promises. As in chapter 35, the dry places will explode with vegetation (v. 17), the deaf and blind will be healed (v. 18), the people will be protected from violence (v. 20), and all the people will rejoice at God’s salvation (v. 19). Notice how all of this drives towards God’s ultimate purpose, which is to make us holy! (Compare 29:23 with 35:8 on holiness). In God’s world, holiness is the root of healthiness. When we are holy, we reverence God as the true Lord of all and live our lives for God’s glory. That puts us in a right relationship with God and leads to healing. As you pray for physical and emotional healing, as well as for God’s abundance in your life, pray that God would heal you especially from the destructive forces of sin, and make you holy.