Morning by Morning
As a college president about to retire after nearly 20 years, you would expect me to be high on getting a college education. And I am. Even though higher education has taken a beating in recent years for the rising costs of tuition and room and board, there is still real value in education: lifetime earnings are higher, initial compensation in many fields is greater, and if colleges do their job well, graduates are usually better citizens.
However, I will admit that getting a college education is not the only way we can learn. In Isaiah 50, we see that when it comes to spiritual maturity, we have a huge opportunity to learn from God’s word, by the Holy Spirit, and through the experiences we have, even when we suffer.
“The Lord God has given me the tongue of those who are taught, that I may know how to sustain with a word him who is weary.”
It is really hard to have the tongue of those who are taught if we are never quiet and still long enough to learn. That is true in a college classroom, and it is true for us in knowing God and understanding his word and will for our lives.
“Morning by morning he awakens; he awakens my ear to hear as those who are taught. The Lord has opened my ear, and I was not rebellious.”
Isaiah makes clear that being educated by God doesn’t happen in a “one and done” moment. “Morning by morning” indicates that we are constantly returning to the source of truth on a daily basis. I have had seasons in my life when my dependence on God is so critical that I often felt God awaken me so that I could spend time quoting scripture and praying. It was the only way that I could survive in moments of my journey. Prayer is not a one-way communication but rather a give and take, and we cannot hear from God unless we find moments to be silent before him and listen.
One cannot read this passage of scripture without realizing that while Isaiah may have been describing his own relationship with God and telling the people of Judah how they should behave in order to learn and grow, Isaiah also gives us a beautiful picture of how Jesus related to his Father and how he bore the disgrace of beatings on his back and his face for us. And just as the Father gave Jesus the strength to endure even to the point of death, God will go with us through every tough situation.
Father, thank you for the example of Isaiah and the promise that we can learn from you directly, through your word, and even through our suffering because you go with us in every moment. In the silence of this moment, we ask that you speak to us. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Your Time with God’s Word
Isaiah 50:4-9 ESV
Photo by Pexels
To receive daily posts delivered directly to your inbox, complete the form at the bottom of our home page.
