Isaiah 33:1-12

Passage: Isaiah 33:1-12
O LORD, Be Gracious to Us.
1 Ah, you destroyer, who yourself have not been destroyed, you traitor, whom none has betrayed! When you have ceased to destroy, you will be destroyed; and when you have finished betraying, they will betray you.
2 O LORD, be gracious to us; we wait for you. Be our arm every morning, our salvation in the time of trouble.
3 At the tumultuous noise peoples flee; when you lift yourself up, nations are scattered,
4 and your spoil is gathered as the caterpillar gathers; as locusts leap, it is leapt upon.
5 The LORD is exalted, for he dwells on high; he will fill Zion with justice and righteousness,
6 and he will be the stability of your times, abundance of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge; the fear of the LORD is Zion’s treasure.
7 Behold, their heroes cry in the streets; the envoys of peace weep bitterly.
8 The highways lie waste; the traveler ceases. Covenants are broken; cities are despised; there is no regard for man.
9 The land mourns and languishes; Lebanon is confounded and withers away; Sharon is like a desert, and Bashan and Carmel shake off their leaves.
10 "Now I will arise," says the LORD, "now I will lift myself up; now I will be exalted.
11 You conceive chaff; you give birth to stubble; your breath is a fire that will consume you.
12 And the peoples will be as if burned to lime, like thorns cut down, that are burned in the fire."

Journal: The children of God turn to their Lord in "times of trouble." Often, even those that reject God will turn to a child of God for counsel in the midst of heartache. Isaiah echoes the security of calling upon the Lord in verse 2 [Isaiah 33:2 -- "O LORD, be gracious to us; we wait for you. Be our arm every morning, our salvation in the time of trouble."]

This call is for the Lord to be "gracious." He is indeed gracious, and His graciousness is at the very core of our salvation and atonement.

This call to the Lord is to be consistent. It is "every morning" that the call from His children is cried out towards His throne.

This call to the Lord is intended to evoke His power. ["At the tumultuous noise peoples flee; when you lift yourself up, nations are scattered, . . ."] Our circumstances can be great in human terms; yet, in the eyes of God our circumstances are under His gracious care and control. This is what leads to our security; a security that springs from our "salvation." There is no better security than to be adopted into the family of God, and to know that our Father cares for and about our every breath.