IN TOUCH DAILY DEVOTIONAL 13 MAY 2024 BY DR. CHARLES STANLEY, MONDAY MESSAGE
TOPIC: God Hovers Over Us
SCRIPTURE: Isaiah 31:1-5
Please support 5dailydevotional.com so we can continue publishing impactful and uplifting content daily. GIVE HERE
1 Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help And rely on horses, And trust in chariots because they are many And in horsemen because they are very strong, But they do not look to the Holy One of Israel, nor seek the LORD!
2 Yet He also is wise and will bring disaster And does not retract His words, But will arise against the house of evildoers And against the help of the workers of iniquity.
3 Now the Egyptians are men and not God, And their horses are flesh and not spirit; So the LORD will stretch out His hand, And he who helps will stumble And he who is helped will fall, And all of them will come to an end together.
4 For thus says the LORD to me, “As the lion or the young lion growls over his prey, Against which a band of shepherds is called out, And he will not be terrified at their voice nor disturbed at their noise, So will the LORD of hosts come down to wage war on Mount Zion and on its hill.”
5 Like flying birds so the LORD of hosts will protect Jerusalem. He will protect and deliver it; He will pass over and rescue it.
TODAY’S MESSAGE
Can you recall a time when you witnessed a parent protecting a child from danger? That fierce and tender strength is wondrous to behold. Just as a watchful mom and dad are quick to defend and comfort their kids, so too is our Father swift to shelter and tend His people. Throughout Scripture, we find multiple instances where God’s love for His children is likened to a bird hovering over its nest or a mother comforting her child.
Today’s passage is one of them. Through the prophet Isaiah, God describes a coming time when the nation of Israel will regret looking to any nation or ruler besides the Lord for protection. Yet despite their misplaced trust, God promises to defeat Israel’s enemies and hover over Jerusalem, shielding and rescuing her from destruction. Centuries later, Jesus articulated a similar longing to gather the children of Jerusalem “the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings” (Matthew 23:37).
God was not intimidated by the enemies that surrounded Israel, and He is in no way threatened by the forces, people, and problems that terrify us today. We can be confident that our God is intimately near to us in times of danger. Because of His strong and tender love, we have nothing to fear.
Bible in One Year: 2 Chronicles 8-10
Thought for Today: The security and love we need can always be found in our heavenly Father’s presence.
For more biblical teaching and resources from Dr. Charles Stanley, please visit www.intouch.org.
And Listen to Dr. Charles Stanley at OnePlace.com!
