February 21, 2026 Devo

I was watching a video today of a 101-year-old woman celebrating her birthday. She had a crowd of friends and family who had gathered to celebrate the big day with her. What was amazing to me was that when they put on the music, she got up and started dancing. Now, she wasn’t exactly jumping up in the air or doing the splits or even wild gyrations. But she was 101, and she was DANCING! I want to be like that.
As we get older, I think we find more to complain about. The music’s too loud, people talk too quietly, the room’s too cold, and we hate talking to machines. Our bodies hurt, our memories are slipping, and our vision is fading. I was sitting with some friends not long ago and said, “You can tell we’re getting older because all we talk about are our pills and procedures!”
But instead of complaining, maybe we ought to be rejoicing. Maybe we ought to be like that 101-year-old sweetheart shuffling around to the music. Because, unlike all those young people whose pain and suffering is just beginning, ours is almost over! A lot sooner than most of us realize, we’re going to leave this world behind for a much better place and a much better body.
Our passage today, according to some commentators, is a reminder that the pain of living in this fallen world isn’t going to last forever. God will lift the “clouds of gloom” of bad news, evil deeds, and horrible people. We will all die, but we will not all remain in death. Those of us who are the people of God will rise to eternal life in Christ. Paul says that we will have “new bodies” that are made to last forever. No more arthritis. No more pill boxes. No more dialysis, heart procedures, or chemotherapy. All that we’ve complained about and dreaded will be left behind. Isaiah’s passage reminds me of a text I often share from Revelation 21 at funerals. “I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, ‘Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them. He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.” And the one sitting on the throne said, “Look, I am making everything new!” A New You and a New Me. That ought to make ALL OF US dance! That’s God’s Word for you today.