May 22, 2026 Devo

May 22nd, 2026

Powerful Words from the Prophets
“The Sovereign LORD has given me his words of wisdom, so that I know how to comfort the weary. Morning by morning he wakens me and opens my understanding to his will. The Sovereign LORD has spoken to me, and I have listened.” – Isaiah 50:4-5 (NLT)
“To Live FOR God, Be WITH God!”

Most commentators agree that these words in Isaiah are spoken about Jesus. It becomes especially apparent when you read the verses just after these. But it’s easy to see the connection to Jesus all through this passage. Jesus spoke the words that His Father gave Him, didn’t He? In fact, in John 8:28, Jesus says, “I do nothing on my own but say only what the Father taught me.” He also certainly declared His ministry to “comfort the weary.” In Matthew 11:28, Jesus says, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.” Jesus spoke the words that people needed to hear and lived with a compassion and empathy for people that brought people comfort, encouragement, and strength.
But sometimes we forget where the secret to Jesus’ impact on people came from. It came from spending time with His Father! Look again at what Isaiah tells us. “Morning by morning he wakens me and opens my understanding to his will. The Sovereign LORD has spoken to me, and I have listened.” His alignment with His Father became the conduit through which Jesus carried out His ministry. Mark 1:35 tells us “Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.” Even when ministry got really busy, maybe ESPECIALLY when ministry got busy, Jesus made time to seek His Father’s presence and guidance. Look at Luke 5:15-16: “…vast crowds came to hear him preach and to be healed of their diseases. But Jesus often withdrew to the wilderness for prayer.”
The secret to Jesus’ success is the secret to ours. We can’t speak God’s words to others until we’ve allowed God to speak to US! We need HIS wisdom, HIS insight, and HIS guidance. We also need His power flowing through us if we’re going to be His comforters, encouragers, and healers. It is our time WITH God that gives us what we need to live FOR God. Let the key to our lives for Christ flow out of the wisdom of Isaiah. “Morning by morning He wakens me and opens my understanding to his will. The Sovereign LORD has spoken to me, and I have listened.” Amen. That’s God’s Word for you today.