July 12

July 12

Uzziah's Death (Southern King 52 years) -- Uzziah dies, God calls Isaiah, & seeing heaven.

Today's Readings:

Reading 1: 2 Chronicles 26:22-23

Reading 2: Isaiah 6

Reading 3: Revelation 4

Today we pick up the last two verses of yesterday's reading and see what is going on outside the royal palace at the same time.Often God is working outside the corridors of power, and that is certainly true here. Isaiah is called as a prophet to speak judgment to Judah, and a vision of heaven accompanies his calling.

Isaiah sees God's presence, which inspires and strengthens Isaiah to speak what he is told, even though much of his message is hard to say to a nation turning away from God. Yet even in the judgment, there is hope - Isaiah reminds his hearers that there will be a stump left when the tree is felled, and the stump will shoot again.

The shooting again is first the return of God's people to their promised land after the exile, and then the birth and growth of the church after the resurrection of Jesus. A great tree has come from the stump of the failed tree!

Let's rejoice today that Jesus is sustaining us and causes us to grow in God.

Have a great day!

Mark.