Today’s Reading:
Read Isaiah 51:1-6, 12-16; 52:7-10; Isaiah 53
As a family, take turns finishing this statement: “Tomorrow, I hope _________ happens.” What are things that your family is hoping for? Hope is a word we use often, but do we know what it really means? Hope is an expectation that something is going to happen. If we have hope that something will happen, we usually have a reason to believe it can happen. In our reading today, we read how Isaiah was offering hope to the Israelites- a confident expectation that something would happen.
Oftentimes, the Israelites had to be reminded of how God had provided for them in the past so they could have hope for the future.. Isaiah reminded them of God’s covenant with Abraham and how when God first promised to Abraham that he would have as many sons as there are stars in the sky, Abraham didn’t even have one son! In Isaiah 51, Isaiah refers to the people of Israel as a nation. He reminded them that they had grown beyond just a family and that God had kept His covenant with Abraham.
Even though God had fulfilled the covenant with Abraham, the Israelites were still waiting. They were waiting for the Savior who would come and deliver them. They were waiting for the promised Redeemer who would come to restore their relationship with God. God reminded the people through Isaiah that He was powerful and faithful and that not only could he fulfill His promise, but they could also trust that he would fulfill His promise. Isaiah 52 encouraged the Israelites to celebrate this good news by sharing with others about it.
Isaiah 53 outlined for the Israelites what the Savior would look like.To be honest, it was not what they were expecting at all. Isaiah prophesied that Jesus would be despised and rejected by men. He promised that Jesus would be the ultimate sacrifice for sin, but to do that He would be “pierced because of our rebellion” and “crushed because of our iniquities.
Application/Prayer:
Read Romans 5:5. Thank God for the HOPE we have in Him and that it will NOT disappoint us.
July Memory Verse:
“Truly I tell you, anyone who hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not come under judgment but has passed from death to life.”
Using the daily reading prompts from George H. Guthrie’s Read the Bible for Life, here’s how to use this devotional:
- Bring your Bible! Your kids need to see that everything you are reading to them or learning about comes from an actual Bible!
- Each day starts with a reading prompt. Read the selection as a family. If your kids are readers, encourage them to read along with you.
- After you’ve read the passage, read the short devotional thought that goes along with each passage.
- Prayer and application are important any time we read God’s word! After each devotional, there is a challenge to help apply what your family has read that day.
- There is a reading for six days of the week. The last reading of the week is a Gospel Conversation Prompt to help you connect the reading from the week with God’s plan for salvation.
Other Resources:
July memory verse coloring sheet
July Fill-in the blank activity