January 22, 2026 Devo

I read a fascinating article about the CZU complex fire that happened in Northern California in 2020. It started with a thunderstorm that produced over 11,000 bolts of lightning, which started hundreds of fires. With strong winds, it spread quickly. When it was all said and done, the fire had consumed over 86,000 acres, destroyed nearly 1500 buildings, but amazingly recorded only one injury and one death. But it was what was observed after the fire that I found so fascinating. Redwood trees at Big Basin—huge, ancient trees, many of which had lost all their leaves in the blaze, began producing new sprouts. Here’s a direct quote from the article: “They found that many burned old-growth redwood trees resprouted quickly following the fire, and that these sprouts emerged from buds that had been dormant under the trees’ bark for hundreds of years…Some old-growth trees at Big Basin are more than 1,500 years old.” When God created the Redwoods, He placed within them the seeds of hope.
That’s what God was saying to Isaiah in our passage today. He is a God of endless, eternal hope. Yes, Israel has sinned. Yes, they will suffer the consequences of that sin. And yes, the devastation of their land will be severe. But there will be a “stump” that remains. There will be a “holy seed” from which God will restore, rebuild, and renew. Like the Redwood trees of California, God has seeds of hope to give new life. And eventually, a seed will be known as Jesus, who will be our Eternal Hope and our Eternal Life.
Hold onto this promise today. If it feels as if your life has been burned to the ground, don’t give up. There are still seeds of hope. If you’ve been through the fire and are dealing with the devastation of your own choices, your own sins, or the choices and sins of someone else, don’t quit. God, who is ever-present, has seeds of hope buried in you and around you, of which you are not aware. He is the God who is fully prepared for this moment. In fact, He’s been prepared since the dawn of time. Put your trust in the Lord, and be amazed as He begins to sprout new life, do new things, and raise up new growth in your life. The same God who planted life under the bark of those ancient Redwoods has planted His hope in YOU! That’s God’s Word for you today.