APRILISAIAH

PONDER OUR MESSIAH

“A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him— the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of might, the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord and he will delight in the fear of the Lord.”- ISAIAH 11:1-3

Isaiah’s words predict the Messiah: Jesus of Nazareth.

The above verses give us much to meditate on. In them we find descriptions of the Messiah’s character and actions. Chew on these attributes of Jesus. Don’t breeze over them, quickly swallowing them whole. Instead, savor the goodness.

The Spirit of wisdom and understanding. Jesus knows all things. Nothing surprises Him. Nothing confuses Him. His comprehension far exceeds any other person who ever lived or ever will live.

The Spirit of counsel and might. Jesus knows our thoughts and see our motives, even when we don’t. He knew earth’s history before the world began. Jesus created all things, healed the sick, forgave sins, calmed the storm, and raised the dead. Nature bows before His power.

The Spirit of knowledge and fear of the Lord. As God Himself, Jesus possesses infinite power and knowledge, yet He humbly submits to the Father’s will.

Unlike sinful humans, Jesus won’t make decisions based on appearance or judgments that rely on hearsay (Isaiah 11:3). Instead, all His assessments are completely righteous and just and He clothes Himself with righteousness and faithfulness (11:4-5). Nothing impure, false or prejudiced ever comes from Him.

When we spend time pondering the power and wisdom of our Messiah, our problems begin to shrink. Because nothing and no one is greater than Jesus, and because He is good and just, we can find peace regardless of our circumstances.

Jesus, our Savior and Messiah, we worship for who you are: Almighty, wise and holy. You are righteous and just, faithful and true. Amen.

Go Deeper — Take any of the Scripture verses above that speaks of God’s character and turn it into a meditative prayer. Consider what the attribute means and how you’ve seen that attribute at work in Scripture and in your life. Thank God for that aspect of His character. Invite Him to speak that quality into a specific area of your life.

Name Above All Names

We are most like our Savior when we die to self and serve others.

Philippians 2:9-11

As we saw yesterday, Jesus—God made flesh—didn’t insist on the position and privileges that were rightly His. Instead, He emptied Himself and became a servant. But He didn’t stop at token humility: He took this step all the way to death—in fact, the excruciating and demeaning death by crucifixion. This is a powerful statement of God’s character. What the Lord delights in is not arrogance but a servant’s heart. 

Jesus set aside power to serve in humility. As believers, we want to gain in Christlikeness, so shouldn’t humble service be our goal as well? To avoid losing sight of this calling, let’s keep in mind the lengths our Father went to: He reached into death and raised Jesus to new life—resurrection life. God highly exalted the Savior, giving Him the name above every name.

Even if we somehow miss the breathtaking scope of the Savior’s love and service during His life on earth, it will be clear when He returns. Philippians 2:10 says that every knee will bow before Jesus. The phrase “in heaven and on earth and under the earth” indicates that everything will worship Him as Lord.

In God’s view, the way up is down. We don’t please or honor Him by exalting ourselves. Rather, we pour out what we have in service and humility, to the glory of God the Father.

Lifted Up

Be their shepherd and carry them forever.

Psalm 28:9

God’s people need to be carried. They are very heavy by nature. They have no wings, or if they have, they are like the dove of old that lay among the pots; and they need divine grace to make them rise up on wings covered with silver and with feathers of yellow gold. By nature sparks fly upward, but the sinful souls of men fall downward.

O Lord, “carry them forever”! David himself said, “To you, O LORD, I lift up my soul,”¹ and here he feels the necessity that other men’s souls should be lifted up as well as his own. When you ask for this blessing, do not forget to seek it for others also.

There are three ways in which God’s people require to be carried or lifted up. They require to be lifted up in character. Lift them up, Lord; do not allow Your people to be like the rest of the world! The world lies in the wicked one; lift them out of it! The world’s people are looking for silver and gold, seeking their own pleasures and the gratification of their lusts; but, Lord, carry Your people up beyond all this; keep them from being “muck-rakers,” as John Bunyan calls the man who was always scraping for gold! Set their hearts upon their risen Lord and the heavenly heritage!

Moreover, believers need to be carried in conflict. In the battle, if they seem to fall, Lord, be pleased to give them the victory. If the foot of the enemy is upon their necks for a moment, help them to grasp the sword of the Spirit and eventually to win the battle. Lord, lift up Your children’s spirits in the day of conflict; do not let them sit in the dust, mourning forever. Do not allow the adversary to disturb their peace and make them fret; but if they have been, like Hannah, persecuted, let them sing of the mercy of a delivering God.

We may also ask our Lord to carry them at the last! Lift them up by taking them home; carry their bodies from the tomb, and raise their souls to Your eternal kingdom in glory.

¹⁾ Psalm 25:1