““This is what the Lord says to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I take hold of to subdue nations before him and to strip kings of their armor, to open doors before him so that gates will not be shut: 2 I will go before you and will level the mountains; I will break down gates of bronze
and cut through bars of iron. 3 I will give you hidden treasures, riches stored in secret places, so that you may know that I am the Lord, the God of Israel, who summons you by name. 4 For the sake of Jacob my servant, of Israel my chosen, I summon you by name and bestow on you a title of honor, though you do not acknowledge me. I am the Lord, and there is no other; apart from me there is no God. I will strengthen you, though you have not acknowledged me,6 so that from the rising of the sun to the place of its setting people may know there is none besides me. I am the Lord, and there is no other. 7 I form the light and create darkness, I bring prosperity and create disaster; I, the Lord, do all these things.” Isaiah 45:1-5 NKJV
Lord God, I Am,
This is a great passage for reminding me that I cannot always work out Your plans or see where You are going. There are confining rules with You as You are the author. You do not dictate, You seek good and we see Your hand in history even as men try to control and write it themselves.
Isaiah here is speaking and writing about a King of Persia called Cyrus who has not been born yet. He will not be born one of God’s chosen people, or a follower, but will enable them to be freed from Babylon. He speaks like it may be soon but scholars think it may not have been for 150 years! But You Lord God of the beginning and then end, know each of us by name. You knew Cyrus would be born, become King and You chose to use him. A peek into Ezra 1:1 confirms it happens along with the annals of history from other sources than the Bible.
Thank you Lord God that You remind us that You are the great I Am. The future will unfold in Your hands. We should not try to limit what You can do by our own logic. You can use whosoever and whenever and however You desire. And good can result. As when we see the harm the nations are doing to each other and the harm we are doing to Your creation we look to You for unexpected good from unexpected directions in unexpected ways.
In Jesus name we pray, Amen.
Worship Monday 24th August 2026
In the words of Jeremiah 32:17 . . .
Ah Lord God, Thou hast made the heavens
And the earth by Thy great power
Ah Lord God, Thou hast made the heavens
And the earth by Thine outstretched arm
Nothing is too difficult for Thee
Nothing is too difficult for Thee
O Great and mighty God
Great in counsel and mighty in deed
Nothing, nothing, Absolutely nothing
Nothing is too difficult for Thee
Lyrics: Kay Chance