June 26 - God's Kind Grace

Read Isaiah 26:1-12

Context: This is part of a song of praise for God's deliverance.

Text:
1 In that day this song will be sung in the land of Judah:
We have a strong city;
God makes salvation
its walls and ramparts.
2 Open the gates
that the righteous nation may enter,
the nation that keeps faith.
3 You will keep in perfect peace
him whose mind is steadfast,
because he trusts in you.
4 Trust in the LORD forever,
for the LORD, the LORD, is the Rock eternal.
5 He humbles those who dwell on high,
he lays the lofty city low;
he levels it to the ground
and casts it down to the dust.
6 Feet trample it down—
the feet of the oppressed,
the footsteps of the poor.
7 The path of the righteous is level;
O upright One, you make the way of the righteous smooth.
8 Yes, LORD, walking in the way of your laws, [a]
we wait for you;
your name and renown
are the desire of our hearts.
9 My soul yearns for you in the night;
in the morning my spirit longs for you.
When your judgments come upon the earth,
the people of the world learn righteousness.
10 Though grace is shown to the wicked,
they do not learn righteousness;
even in a land of uprightness they go on doing evil
and regard not the majesty of the LORD.
11 O LORD, your hand is lifted high,
but they do not see it.
Let them see your zeal for your people and be put to shame;
let the fire reserved for your enemies consume them.
12 LORD, you establish peace for us;
all that we have accomplished you have done for us.(NIV)

Footnotes:
Isaiah 26:8 Or judgments
taken from www.biblegateway.com


Verse 10 seems to sum up the history of the Hebrew people...God shows them grace but the lesson of righteous living doesn't seem to sink in. There are several words in Hebrew that are translated as 'grace'. This one is the word 'chanan' (chaw-nan'). It means 'to be gracious, to show favor or pity.'

God shows grace to us on a daily basis, and this is a type of grace that we can show to others, too. When family members or friends are hurting and require compassion, we can respond with 'chanan'. Sometimes that requires a quick kiss and a bandaid, other times it takes an extended period of time listening and empathizing with one who is suffering through a crisis.

This is also the type of grace that we can show those we come across outside of our circle of friends. Random acts of kindness fall into this category - especially when someone is in need in some way.

In our moments of stress, pain, or crisis, God seeks us out to offer his grace and compassion. Often it is in the form of a phone call from a friend at just the right moment, a hug from a child, or the caring touch of a nurse. He never has to look for us -- he knows right where we are.

Your challenge today is to show someone God's grace through an act of kindness!