“Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid.”

Daily Devotion for March 19, 2020

Isaiah 11:16-12:2

 “…As it was for Israel in the day that they came up from the land of Egypt…Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. The Lord, the Lord himself, is my strength and my defense; He has become my salvation.”

Our daily reading today in Isaiah reminds us of the deliverance of the children of God when they were in bondage in Egypt. You can read the entire account beginning in Exodus 1. The people were suffering greatly and crying out to God for help. In Exodus 3, Moses encounters God in the Burning Bush and the Lord speaks these words to him:

“I have indeed seen the misery of my people…I have heard them crying out…and I am concerned about their suffering…So I have come down to rescue them…And now the cry of the Israelites has reached me…” (Exodus 3:7-9)

The Lord delivers His people from their enemy and after they had crossed the Red Sea and were safe, they sang what is called the Song of Moses (Exodus 15). The Holy Prophet Isaiah quotes this verse from that song of praise to the Lord for His deliverance:

“Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. The Lord, the Lord himself, is my strength and my defense; He has become my salvation.” (This verse is found in both Exodus 15:2 and in Isaiah 12:2)

My dear brothers and sisters, Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8). As He delivered His children from their enemy back in Egypt, He will deliver us from this invisible enemy we face today. He knows what is happening and He hears our prayers. Truly our prayers have reached Him. How and when He will deliver us remains to be seen, but we can be assured of His faithfulness to us.

The gates of hell cannot prevail against His Church (Matthew 16:18) and we can be confident that this coronavirus will not prevail against it either.  May we not be gripped with fear and anxiety as we hear the daily news from around the world, but rather, may our hearts be flooded with the love and faithfulness of our Lord for us. Please take time right now to meditate on that key verse from today’s reading and let His peace flow into your heart:

“Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. The Lord, the Lord himself, is my strength and my defense; He has become my salvation.”

May the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus our Lord…Fr. Stephen