Isaiah 58:9-14
Luke 5:27-32
‘The Lord will always guide you, giving you relief in desert places.
He will give strength to your bones and you shall be like a watered garden,
like a spring of water whose waters never run dry.‘
Today’s reading from Isaiah repeats some of yesterday’s text and it too ends on a hopeful note. I hear in Isaiah’s words the motif of the covenantal bond between God and Israel. While the demands are high and far reaching for Israel, God promises to sustain them
Isaiah’s words were originally for a people in exile. He holds out the hope of their triumphant return to their own land. This will need a change in political fortunes and also a change in their hearts and minds. If they can make this change they are promised strength in their bones and relief from what has been the ‘desert’ of their lives in exile.
How do you hear God’s promise today?