I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Isaiah 17-21.

    In today’s passage Isaiah prophesies that many nations will face disaster and defeat in order for them to be drawn to God. In particular, he focuses on Israel’s fall from its days of glory. People will continue to worship idols and things which they have made until they face total destruction. Only then will they turn to God. The land will become desolate because of the sins of the people. Yet, before going on to prophesy about how other nations will be brought low before they turn to God, Isaiah includes an interesting prophecy. One which applies more often than we realize.

    In Isaiah 17:14, the prophet writes something we should pay close attention to when life is at its darkest. In the prophecy, Isaiah tells us that in the evening when they go to bed the people of Israel will be terrified by what it appears that the next day will bring, but when dawn arrives their problems will be gone. God will often work the same way for us. Our problems may seem overwhelming one day and be completely gone the next. It may seem to us that our problems cannot be solved, that come the morrow we will drown in them, but if we put our trust in God, He will surely rescue us. How that rescue will come about none of us can know in advance. Perhaps all of those who threatened us will die, as in this prophecy. Perhaps the problems will be solved in other ways. Or, perhaps we will wake up in the morning and realize that what frightened us the night before is not a threat after all. Instead of worrying about our problems we will be better served by trusting God and praising Him for what He has done for us, even when we don’t yet know what that is.