Daily Devotional

A Ministry of the Kerwin Baptist Church

August 17, 2018

by Pastor Hawtree

I AM PERSUADED THAT HE IS ABLE:

TO DO WONDERFUL THINGS (part 2)

Isaiah 25:4 For thou hast been a strength to the poor, a strength to the needy in his distress, a refuge from the storm, a shadow from the heat, when the blast of the terrible ones is as a storm against the wall.

We serve a wonderful God. He has been a faithful Father and friend. We serve a God that gives strength to those who cannot give strength to themselves. Our God is a “strength to the poor”, and “strength to the needy”. That means that God does not just help those that have something to offer back. God does not just help those that have resources. God helps those who have nothing, who have no resources, and who have nothing to give back. After all, God really does not need what we have, we need what God has, so our God gives STRENGTH.

Our God also gives SHELTER. He is “a refuge from the storm”. Life brings plenty of storms. There are storms of disappointment, storms of disease, and storms of distress. We could talk all day about storms that we face. God never said that we would not have storms, God just promised that He would give us shelter when they come.

We are also told that God would be a SHADE from the heat. Now storms pop up suddenly in our life, and normally last for a season and then move on. The heat that is spoken of here implies a constant, constraining type of issue. Something that gradually wears you down. This is what this “shadow” is. It is a shade from the heat. It is relief from the baking sun.

As I am sharing each of these, I hope the Holy Spirit is helping you see areas of your life where you can apply these, where you can see through these descriptions what God does for us, which brings us to the last part of this verse. “When the blast of the terrible ones is as a storm against the wall.” These “blasts” are sudden explosions. We have all had those haven’t we? What does the phrase mean, “as a storm against the wall? If you think about it, what happens to a wall when a fierce, exploding storm comes against it? It falls over. You see, God is our STABILITY. If you and I are not careful, the storms that show up in our life can knock us over. It can rattle the very foundation of our lives. God can be our stability. If you’re facing a storm today, or severe heat, or distress of any kind, God can keep your wall standing! I am persuaded that He is able.