Living by the Book/Living by the Book Workbook Set (69 page)

• A parent whose child has rebelled and left home

• Someone who has allowed the harsh situations of life to distance him or her from God

As you read through the eyes of these various people, the text might reveal a number of fresh insights you had not yet noticed.

TODAY’S PASSAGE:

Isaiah 55

TIME COMMITMENT:

30 minutes

“The way to come to the Word of God [is to] read it as though it were His
love letter to you” (p. 71).

S
ometimes we perceive the writings of the prophets to be some of the least “loving” of the Scriptures. The prophets brought messages from God, and much of what they had to say pointed to what people could expect as the consequences of their sins. But God also sprinkled the prophetic books with promises and reasons for confident hope among His people.

Isaiah wrote to alert the people of Judah that they would eventually be taken into captivity by the Babylonians. Much of what he had to say was harsh, direct, and to the point. But equally to the point was what they could expect
beyond
their captivity.

Put yourself in the place of someone who had been carried away by an enemy army, or left amid the ruins of a once-grand city. You would remember that Isaiah had warned about such a future, but you might also recall something else. Your world is crumbling around you as you locate a scroll containing Isaiah 55. Read the text, then consider the following questions.

• How would you feel upon reading this passage, in light of your present sufferings?

• What would this text tell you about God?