By Guest Writer
Scripture Reading: Isaiah 8:11-22, Isaiah 9:1-21, Isaiah 10:1-19, Matthew 4:12-17
When we sit down to pray or read Scripture, we bring everything with us—our lives, our bodies, and our worries. When I sat down to read this passage from Isaiah, I brought the weight of the world.
Maybe you did too. We bring all kinds of longings and fears, from family and health struggles to community conflict and frightening headlines. Some days, it’s just too much.
Today, I found an unexpected gift in these words from an ancient Israelite prophet.
“Do not call everything a conspiracy
that these people say is a conspiracy.
Do not fear what they fear;
do not be terrified.”
—Isaiah 8:12
Once again, the prophets and poetry of long ago are more than a historical curiosity. Isaiah reminded me that humanity has always faced fear and darkness beyond our control. We’ve always been tempted to grasp for power, steer our destiny, and survive at all costs. And we’ve always known “distress, darkness, and the gloom of affliction” (Isaiah 8:22). The kind of darkness that makes you wonder if God has walked away and left us to fend for ourselves.
I was struck by the resilience Isaiah displayed as he watched his community give up, collapse into their fear, and careen toward certain judgment. Yet instead of despair, he declared, “I will wait for the LORD, who is hiding his face…” (v.17). Despite the darkness, he continued to trust that God didn’t mean to abandon them.
Perhaps we all know this next great prophecy by heart.
For a child will be born for us,
a son will be given to us,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
He will be named
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.
—Isaiah 9:6
It’s a big shift in the midst of doom and gloom, but I’d like to think these words came as a gentle surprise. What could be more disarming in the face of destruction than the birth of a child? Perhaps Isaiah thought of his own son’s laughter as he wrote those words. His great prophetic poem radiates all the joy in the breaking of a sunrise, the destruction of war machines, and the rejoicing of a harvest.
This is a story of tensions. God is the sanctuary and the stumbling block (Isaiah 8:14), the compassionate Father and the Lord of Armies. We still live in a world of birthdays and funerals, weddings and wars; joy and sorrow walk alongside us, sometimes at the same time. We still wait for the Prince of Peace to make all things new.
Isaiah knew this tension, and so do we. But when we are tempted to fear and despair, we can borrow some of his resilience and face the future. Maybe then, we’ll catch a glimpse of the sun slowly lifting over the horizon.
Written by Jen Yokel
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